Impact of disinfectant on the electrical outputs of urine-fed ceramic and membrane-less microbial fuel cell cascades

You, Jiseon; Walter, Xavier Alexis; Gajda, Iwona; Greenman, John; Ieropoulos, Ioannis

Abstract

The application of microbial fuel cells in sanitation has demonstrated feasibility in supplying electricity and providing safety in underserved communities, especially at toilet blocks. Two different designs of urine fed MFC cascades, ceramic MFCs (c-MFC) and self-stratifying MFCs (s-MFC), have been employed in large-scale feasibility studies. As part of a pre-commercialisation approach, this study verified the resilience of each design when a commercial disinfectant was introduced into the system. Five different conditions, varying in concentrations (24.2 mM–604.5 mM) and the total volume (50–500 mL) of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant introduced, were tested. Upon adding the disinfectant, both types of MFC-cascades exhibited rapid power drops with response times lower than 5 min in all tested conditions, followed by relatively swift recovery times of up to 250 min. The volume of disinfectant introduced had a greater impact on power output than its concentration or dose. Comparing the two designs, the c-MFC demonstrated a much larger voltage drop, up to 0 mV, and shorter recovery time compared to the s-MFC under most test conditions, mainly attributed to the presence (c-MFC) or absence (s-MFC) of a membrane. Overall, both types of MFCs exhibited strong resilience to sodium hypochlorite additions, thereby highlighting the commercial potential of the technology towards safe off-grid sanitation.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 15, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 15, 2024
• Publication Date: Feb 29, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 16, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 16, 2024
• Journal: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
• Print ISSN: 0360-3199
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 57
• Pages: 759-763
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.01.042
• Keywords: Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Condensed Matter Physics; Fuel Technology; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11616388
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Impact of disinfectant on the electrical outputs of urine-fed ceramic and membrane-less microbial fuel cell cascades; Journal Title: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.01.042; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC.