Polypyrrole-Coated Reticulated Vitreous Carbon as Anode in Microbial Fuel Cell for Higher Energy Output

Abstract

A microbial fuel cell is a noble green technology generating electricity from biomass and is expected to find applications in a real world. One of main hurdles to this purpose is the low power density. In this study, we constructed a prototype microbial fuel cell using Proteus vulgaris to study the effect of various reaction conditions on the performance. Main focus has been made on the modification of the anode with electropolymerized polypyrrole (Ppy). A dramatic power enhancement was resulted from the Ppy deposition onto the reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrode. Our obtained maximum power density of 1.2 mW cm-3 is the highest value among the reported ones for the similar system. Further power enhancement was possible by increasing the ionic strength of the solution to decrease internal resistance of the cell. Other variables such as the deposition time, kinds of mediators, and amount of bacteria have also been examined.