title: Effects of Fe, Ni, and Fe/Ni metallic nanoparticles on power production and biosurfactant production from used vegetable oil in the anode chamber of a microbial fuel cell.
abstract: In this study, metallic nanoparticles (Fe, Ni, and Fe/Ni) were used as cathode catalysts to enhance power production and to improve the anode performance of a two-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC). The metallic nanoparticles were rod-shaped and produced by the precipitation/co-precipitation method. A biosurfactant was produced in the anode chamber of the MFC from used vegetable oil by the bacteria Serratia sp. Overall cell voltage, power density, bacterial growth, and biosurfactant production were studied by applying different types of metallic nanoparticles to the cathode electrode. The influence of various types of nanoparticles on the impedance of the MFC was also investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), including analyses of anode impedance, cathode impedance, anode solution resistance, cathode solution resistance, and membrane resistance. The nanoparticles improved MFC performance in the following order: Fe>Ni>Fe/Ni. The addition of 1.5mg/cm2Fe nanoparticles to the cathode surface enhanced power production by over 500% to 66.4mW/m3, promoted bacterial growth and biosurfactant production in the anode solution by 132.5% and 32.0%, respectively, and reduced anode impedance, cathode impedance, and membrane resistance by 26.8%, 81.6%, and 33.8% to 159.00Ω, 7.69Ω, and 261.09Ω, respectively. For the first time, biosurfacant production in the anode chamber of the MFC was promoted by using the metallic nanoparticles as cathode catalysts. By improving the cathode properties, this study showed a new way to manipulated the performance of the anode chamber of the MFC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern Illinois University, 1230 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL 62901, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77204, USA. Electronic address: jialiu@siu.edu.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77204, USA.
authors.forename: Cumaraswamy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vipulanandan
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004566:Electrodes; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D010938:Plant Oils
chemical_list: D010938:Plant Oils
keywords: Biosurfactant; Metallic nanoparticle; Microbial fuel cell; Used vegetable oil