Agric & Bioresources Engineering

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://197.211.34.35:4000/handle/123456789/144

Agric & Bioresources Engineering

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Microbial fuel cell

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    Evaluation of the Electrical Performance of a Soil-Type Microbial Fuel Cell Treated with a Substrate at Different Electrode Spacings
    (Proceedings of ICEESEN2020, 2020-11-21) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Imoize, Agbotiname L.; Freitag, Ruth
    The effect of electrode spacing on the performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) under batch treatment with a substrate was investigated with three single-chamber MFCs built with biologically active soil. The electrodes consisted of a stainless-steel mesh with layers of activated carbon catalyst. The MFCs were fed with artificial urine after reaching a stationary phase. After the initial treatment, the cell with the smallest electrode gap produced the maximum peak power under polarization. At 2 cm, 5 cm and 8 cm electrode spacing, the maximum power was 726.2 µW, 547 µW, and 520.3, respectively; while the average power of the MFCs from the first point of treatment with substrate to the last point was 297 + 259.2, 505.43+ 42.5, and 433.81+ 64, respectively. A significant decrease in internal resistance of the MFCs was observed during batch treatment. The impedance analysis of the MFCs showed that the reduction in internal resistance was largely due to a significant decrease in ohmic resistance compared to the charge transfer resistance.
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    Performance evaluation and impedance spectroscopy of carbon-felt and reinforced stainless-steel mesh electrodes in terrestrial microbial fuel cells for biopower generation
    (Measurement: Energy-Elsevier, 2025-01-19) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Amarachi C. Alaka; Peter Daniel; Olalekan David Adeniyi
    Terrestrial Microbial Fuel Cells (TMFCs) offer promising potential for renewable energy by harnessing microbial metabolism to generate electricity from soil-based organic matter. Electrode materials are key to TMFC performance, facilitating electron transfer between microbes and the circuit. However, the effect of electrode impedance on TMFC efficiency is not well understood. This study fills that gap by comparing surface-modified stainless-steel mesh (SMS) and carbon felt (CF) electrodes, focusing on performance metrics and impedance spectroscopy to optimize electrode design for improved power generation from TMFCs. The SMS electrode fabricated using the pasting and reinforcement process demonstrated superior performance with a maximum power of 859 μW compared to the 234 μW power of the CF electrode. This better performance of the SMS electrode was attributed to its pseudocapacitive behavior, enhancing internal charge storage capacity and overall MFC efficiency. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed a substantially higher charge transfer resistance in the CF electrode, resulting in a 190.8 % difference between the two electrodes. Conversely, the SMS electrode exhibited lower resistance and improved diffusion characteristics, facilitating efficient electron transfer and mass transport. These findings underscore the significance of tailored electrode materials in optimizing MFC performance and emphasize the utility of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in elucidating complex electrochemical processes within MFC systems, thus guiding future advancements in sustainable power production in terrestrial MFCs.