High catalytic activity and pollutants resistivity using Fe-AAPyr cathode catalyst for microbial fuel cell...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer a sustainable energy source from wastewater.
• Developing efficient and cost-effective catalysts is crucial for MFC performance.
• Non-platinum group metal catalysts are sought as alternatives to expensive platinum.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a novel iron and aminoantipyrine-based catalyst (Fe-AAPyr) in membraneless single-chamber MFCs (SCMFCs).
• To evaluate the catalyst's performance and stability using wastewater as the fuel source.
• To compare Fe-AAPyr performance against platinum (Pt) and activated carbon cathodes.

Main Methods:

• Fe-AAPyr synthesized using iron and aminoantipyrine precursors.
• Fe-AAPyr implemented as an oxygen reduction catalyst in a passive gas-diffusion cathode for SCMFCs.
• SCMFC performance evaluated using wastewater, measuring power density and stability over 16 days.
• Catalyst activity assessed in the presence of sulfide (S(2-)).

Main Results:

• Fe-AAPyr demonstrated higher maximum power density (167 ± 6 μW cm⁻²) compared to Pt (113 ± 4 μW cm⁻²) in SCMFCs.
• Fe-AAPyr maintained stable performance over 16 days of operation in wastewater.
• The catalyst showed insignificant decrease in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in the presence of S(2-).
• Fe-AAPyr performance was comparable to activated carbon-based cathodes.

Conclusions:

• Fe-AAPyr is a highly effective non-platinum catalyst for SCMFCs.
• This catalyst exhibits excellent stability and performance under the challenging conditions of wastewater.
• Fe-AAPyr presents a promising, cost-effective alternative to platinum catalysts in MFC applications.