title: Pre-acclimation of a wastewater inoculum to cellulose in an aqueous-cathode MEC improves power generation in air-cathode MFCs.
abstract: Cellulose has been used in two-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs), but power densities were low. Higher power densities can be achieved in air-cathode MFCs using an inoculum from a two-chamber, aqueous-cathode microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). Air-cathode MFCs with this inoculum produced maximum power densities of 1070 mW m(-2) (cathode surface area) in single-chamber and 880 mW m(-2) in two-chamber MFCs. Coulombic efficiencies ranged from 25% to 50%, and COD removals were 50-70% based on total cellulose removals of 60-80%. Decreasing the reactor volume from 26 to 14 mL (while maintaining constant electrode spacing) decreased power output by 66% (from 526 to 180 mW m(-2)) due to a reduction in total mass of cellulose added. These results demonstrate that air-cathode MFCs can produce high power densities with cellulose following proper acclimation of the inoculum, and that organic loading rates are important for maximizing power densities from particulate substrates.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Department of Energy Engineering Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, PR China.
authors.forename: Shaoan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kiely
authors.forename: Bruce E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Logan
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000502:physiology*; D000388:Air; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000382:microbiology*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism*; D004560:Electricity; D004566:Electrodes; D004572:Electrolysis; D004867:Equipment Design; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D002482:Cellulose; D010100:Oxygen