Comparing the short and long term stability of biodegradable, ceramic and cation exchange membranes in microbial fuel cells.
The long and short-term stability of two porous dependent ion exchange materials; starch-based compostable bags (BioBag) and ceramic, were compared to commercially available cation exchange membrane (CEM) in microbial fuel cells. Using bi-directional polarisation methods, CEM exhibited power overshoot during the forward sweep followed by significant power decline over the reverse sweep (38%). The porous membranes displayed no power overshoot with comparably smaller drops in power during the reverse sweep (ceramic 8%, BioBag 5.5%). The total internal resistance at maximum power increased by 64% for CEM compared to 4% (ceramic) and 6% (BioBag). Under fixed external resistive loads, CEM exhibited steeper pH reductions than the porous membranes. Despite its limited lifetime, the BioBag proved an efficient material for a stable microbial environment until failing after 8 months, due to natural degradation. These findings highlight porous separators as ideal candidates for advancing MFC technology in terms of cost and operation stability.
Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of England, T-Building, Frenchay Campus, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK. Electronic address: jon.winfield@brl.ac.uk.
Jonathan
J
Winfield
Lily D
LD
Chambers
Jonathan
J
Rossiter
Ioannis
I
Ieropoulos
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D002411:Cation Exchange Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry*; D017097:Electric Impedance; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D013997:Time Factors
D002411:Cation Exchange Resins; D008567:Membranes, Artificial
Biodegradation; Ceramic; Microbial fuel cell; Power overshoot; Proton exchange membrane