The overall performance improvement of microbial fuel cells connected in series with dairy wastewater treatment

Abstract

To improve the potential of single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs) as an applicable technology, the main challenge is a practical application for larger scales bioenergy production from potent exoelectrogenic microorganism with real dairy wastewater. To increase power generation, three individual MFCs were together operated in series best under the fed batch condition for 15 days. The volume of MFC 1 and MFC 2 is “ 300 mL” and MFC 3 is “500 mL” respectively. The individual MFCs 1, MFC 2 and MFC 3 gives an open circuit voltage of 0.60 V, 0.66 V and 0.55 V and result in total working voltage when connected in series of 1.745V, which lead an LED to glow. The maximum power densities obtained from MFC 1, MFC 2 and MFC 3 are 62 mW/m, 50 mW/m and 45 mW/m (normalized to the surface area of the anodic electrode, which was 50 cm2for all three MFCs), and corresponding to current densities of 141 mA/m,2 155 mA/m and 1232 mA/m,2 respectively. Therefore this work suggests the cheapest way to connect microbial fuel cells in series to gain power with the2 2 2 lowest operating cost and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal.