ZrP₂O₇ as a Cathodic Material in Single-Chamber MFC for Bioenergy Production

The present work is the first investigation of the electrocatalytic performances of ZrP₂O₇ as a cathode in a single-chamber Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) for the conversion of chemical energy from wastewater to bioelectricity. This catalyst was prepared by a coprecipitation method, then characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometry (UV-Vis-NIR), and cyclic voltammetry analyses. The acid-basic characteristics of the surface were probed by using 2-butanol decomposition. The conversion of 2-butanol occurs essentially through the dehydrating reaction, indicating the predominantly acidic character of the solid. The electrochemical test shows that the studied cathode material is electroactive. In addition, the ZrP₂O₇ in the MFC configuration exhibited high performance in terms of bioelectricity generation, giving a maximum output power density of around 449 mW m^-2; moreover, it was active for wastewater treatment, reducing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) charge to 50% after three days of reaction.