title: Membrane-electrode assembly enhances performance of a microbial fuel cell type biological oxygen demand sensor.
abstract: A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) was applied to a microbial fuel cell (MFC) type biological oxygen demand (BOD) sensor and the performance of the sensor was assessed. To establish the optimal conditions for MEA fabrication, platinum-catalysed carbon cloth cathodic electrodes were assembled with cation exchange membranes under various temperatures and pressures. By analysing coulombs from the MFCs, it could be determined that the optimal hot-pressing conditions were 120 degrees C and 150 kg cm(-2) for 30 s. When the MEA fabricated under optimal conditions and an air cathode were utilized for the construction of the MFC type BOD sensor, coulombs increased to 4.65 C from 0.52 C and power increased to 69,080 mW m(-3) from 880 mW m(-3) (at a BOD concentration of 200 mg L(-1)), respectively, compared with the conventional MFC lacking a MEA. The increased power improved the performance of the MFC type BOD sensor: sensitivity increased from 1.2 x 10(-3) to 1.8 x 10(-2) C per mg L(-1) of BOD, with good linearity (r2 = 0.97) and over 97% repeatability. We conclude that the MEA can be successfully applied to MFCs to make them highly sensitive BOD sensors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Pusan National University, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609-735, South Korea.
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Moon Sik
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hyun
authors.forename: Geoffrey M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Gadd
authors.forename: Gwang Tae
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang-Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyung Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004566:Electrodes; D004867:Equipment Design; D016014:Linear Models; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010984:Platinum / Q000737:chemistry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D020614:Shewanella putrefaciens / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012722:Sewage; D010984:Platinum