Comparative study of double-chamber microbial fuel cells (DC-MFCs) using Mfensi clay as ion-exchange-partition: Effect of electrodes

Abstract

An alternative answer to the vital issues of electricity production and wastewater treatment leads to the application of microbial fuel cells. This study has developed a low-cost double-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) for electricity generation, which can also be used for simultaneous wastewater treatment. These fuel cells were constructed using cheap Mfensi clay as an ion-exchange-partition and compared two types of electrode combination that work at temperatures between 25 °C and 27 °C. The performance of the cell assemblage was affected by the type of electrodes used. Experimental results showed maximum power densities of 118 mW/m² and 79 mW/m² respectively for the pot-zinc/copper pair of electrodes and pot-graphite/graphite pair of electrodes.