미생물 연료전지 내의 전류 포집기 면적 증가에 따른 산화 전극 성능 개선

Stainless steel current collector increase MFC power generation by decreasing cathodic charge transfer impedance

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is environmental energy system that convert the energy contained in organic wastewater into electrical energy by microbial catalysis. High-performance electrode materials make it possible to achieve high power generation of MFC systems by reducing internal resistance. The performance impact of the anode current collector area in the MFC was investigated in this research. Carbon-based materials are generally used for the MFC anode electrode, but their conductivity is much lower than metal materials. In this study, it was hypothesized increasing metal current collector areas improve anodic performance. Carbon-felt anodes with titanium wires or stainless steel mesh were tested. In conclusion, in the IV polarization test, maximum power density, maximum current density and optimum current density were 33%, 34% and 30% higher in CF-M (2,311 mW/m 2 , 16, 815 mA/m 2 and 7,651 mA/m 2 )than CF-W(1,737 mW/m 2 , 12,566 mA/m 2 and 5,874 mA/m 2 ), respectively. However the stainless steel mesh used as the current collector of CF-M inhibits microbial growth and adhesion on the carbon felt and reduces mass transfer because it decreases the surface area of carbon felt.