title: Electricity production from municipal solid waste using microbial fuel cells.
abstract: The organic content of municipal solid waste has long been an attractive source of renewable energy, mainly as a solid fuel in waste-to-energy plants. This study focuses on the potential to use microbial fuel cells to convert municipal solid waste organics into energy using various operational conditions. The results showed that two-chamber microbial fuel cells with carbon felt and carbon felt allocation had a higher maximal power density (20.12 and 30.47 mW m(-2) for 1.5 and 4 L, respectively) than those of other electrode plate allocations. Most two-chamber microbial fuel cells (1.5 and 4 L) had a higher maximal power density than single-chamber ones with corresponding electrode plate allocations. Municipal solid waste with alkali hydrolysis pre-treatment and K3Fe(CN)6 as an electron acceptor improved the maximal power density to 1817.88 mW m(-2) (~0.49% coulomb efficiency, from 0.05-0.49%). The maximal power density from experiments using individual 1.5 and 4 L two-chamber microbial fuel cells, and serial and parallel connections of 1.5 and 4 L two-chamber microbial fuel cells, was found to be in the order of individual 4 L (30.47 mW m(-2)) > serial connection of 1.5 and 4 L (27.75) > individual 1.5 L (20.12) > parallel connection of 1.5 and 4 L (17.04) two-chamber microbial fuel cells . The power density using municipal solid waste microbial fuel cells was compared with information in the literature and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: National Taichung University of Education, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.affiliation: Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC hmlo@cyut.edu.tw.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D004560:Electricity; D012722:Sewage; D062611:Solid Waste
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D062611:Solid Waste
keywords: K3Fe(CN)6; Municipal solid waste; alkali hydrolysis pre-treatment; carbon felt; microbial fuel cells; power density