Magnesium oxide-templated coal-based porous carbon as a novel anode for high performance microbial fuel cell treatment

Coal-based porous carbon catalytic materials (CPC-M) are synthesized using magnesium oxide as a templating agent and attached to a carbon cloth. These materials are employed as anodes in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for treating a mixture of shale gas flowback wastewater and aging landfill leachate through multi-cycle operation. Among the 4 dual-compartment MFCs constructed, the CPC-M-MFCs demonstrate superior power production, achieving a maximum stabilized output voltage of 633.1 mV, a peak power density of 1385.5 mW/m2, and the lowest apparent internal resistance of 152.7 Omega when 0.5 g of magnesium citrate precursor (CPC-M0.5) is used, which resulted in an enhanced performance compared to the first operation cycle. Morphological and structural analyses reveal that CPC-M0.5 possesses a high specific surface area, graphitized structure, and enhanced biocompatibility. Regarding degradation, the CPC-M0.5-MFC achieves a Chemical Oxygen Demand removal rate of 46.1 %, with improved ammonia nitrogen removal compared to the blank carbon cloth (CC) MFC. Biofilm and microbial community analyses indicate that the CPC-M0.5 anode supports the highest community richness and homogeneity, contributing to enhanced power production and degradation performance.