Enhanced Power Density and Decolorization of Air-cathode Single-chamber Microbial Fuel Cells with Microfiltration Membranes

In order to increase the power output and reduce the cost of MFCs, micro filtration membrane (MFM) air-cathode MFC (MFM-MFC) and proton exchange membrane (PEM) air-cathode MFC (PEM-MFC) were compared in the performance of the simultaneous decolorization of azo dye and power generation. Batch test results showed that the PEM-MFC produced a maximum power density of 272 mW/m2. The using the MFM in stead of the PEM increased the maximum power density to 310 mW/m2. The coulombic efficiencies were 7.25% and 19.9% in the MFM-MFC and PEM-MFC, respectively. An accelerated decolorization of Congo red was observed in the MFM-MFC which was due to its lower internal resistance. The HPLC chromatogram of anode solution indicated that the decolorization of Congo red can be achieved and the do colorization products were accumulated and could not be further degraded in the MFC. This study suggests that it is feasible for the MFC using MFM in place of PEM in the operation of the simultaneous decolorization of azo dye and power generation.