Effects of electrode material and surface area on the performance of microbial fuel cells treating leachate

In this study, the effect of electrode material and surface area on the bioelectricity generation and leachate treatment using fixed-bed microbial fuel cells (FB-MFCs) were examined for 90 d. Two materials including graphite rod (GR) and carbon cloth (CC) were used as electrode in air-cathode and anode compartments. The performance of the FB-MFCs that has been packed with granular activated carbon was investigated using a mixed microorganism culture for leachate bioconversion in batch mode operation. The maximum removal of chemical oxygen demand and total Kjeldahl nitrogen were 99%, and 99.79%, respectively when surface area of the carbon cloth was 0.036 m2. The maximum power density (99.8 W/m3) and current (3.323 mA) achieved when carbon cloth has been applied as electrode and the surface area of electrodes were 0.018 and 0.036 m2, respectively. This study verified the potential of FB-MFCs as an efficient system for simultaneous leachate treating and power generation. Furthermore, the results provided valuable information for the further development of a continuous MFC system using graphite rod and carbon cloth as electrode.