Electricity generation and wastewater treatment using an Air-Cathode Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell

This was the first establishment of an air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) without a proton exchange membrane and with stainless steel wire as the anode. The performance of the MFC was evaluated by using glucose as the sole substrate. With an initial chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) concentration of 496 mg/L and the external resistance of 1000 Omega under room temperature, electricity was generated continuously by the MFC. The highest voltage reached up to 235.11 mV. The open circuit voltage was measured at 461.00 mV, and the internal resistance of the system under test was calculated at 2820 Omega. The MFC achieved a maximum power density of 137.1 mW/m(2) cathode and a coulombic efficiency of 32.4% under the experimental condition. Contrastive experimental research on brewery wastewater treatment was done by using the MFC and anaerobic reactor. Under the initial CODCr of 15900 mg/L and the hydraulic retention time of 96 hours, the MFC achieved 40% to 55 % removal rate of CODCr. The voltage at the two ends stayed stably at 220 to 250mV. It indicated that MFCs could reclaim electric energy from the process of wastewater treatment.