Improved performance of a microbial fuel cell with polypyrrole/carbon black composite coated carbon paper anodes

Abstract

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been regarded as noble clean energy technology that can directly convert biomass to electricity. However, its low power density is a main limitation to be used as a new energy source. To overcome this limitation, we focused on the anode improvement in a mediator-type MFC using P. vulgaris as a biocatalyst. Fuel cell performance increased when the anode was coated with carbon black or polypyrrole. The best performance was observed when polypyrrole/carbon black (Ppy/CB) composite material was coated on a carbon paper electrode. Our obtained value of 452 mW m-2 is the highest value among the reported ones for the similar system. The effects of amount of Ppy/CB, mediator concentration, and amount of P. vulgaris have also been examined.