The Effect of Bicarbonate and CO۲ as Carbon Sources in Cathod Section of Photosynthetic Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells

Sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) systems contain water and sediments. These systems are used to generate electrical energy from sediments and organic compounds. One disadvantage of this system is the low rate of oxygen production, which results in low voltage production. The Photosynthetic sediment microbial fuel cell (PSMFC) system uses the algae in the cathode chamber because photosynthesis lead to a higher amount of oxygen compared to aeration. In this study, two carbon sources of sodium bicarbonate and carbon dioxide in the catholyte section were investigated. A control cell without any carbon source was also operated. Results indicate that, the PSMFC without extra amount of a carbon source and the PSMFC containing bicarbonate at ۴ g/l performed better than the cell with sparging CO۲ as the carbon source at flow rate of ۴۸ ml/s. Stable voltage output of PSMFCs containing bicarbonate and CO۲ were ۲۲۲-۵ mv and ۵۲-۵ mv, respectively.

Keywords:

Sediment microbial fuel cell , Microalgae , Cathodic treatment , Dissolved oxygen.