TY - JOUR
T1 - Spray-on polyvinyl alcohol separators and impact on power production in air-cathode microbial fuel cells with different solution conductivities
AU - Hoskins, Daniel L.
AU - Zhang, Xiaoyuan
AU - Hickner, Michael A.
AU - Logan, Bruce E.
N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KUS-11-003-13
Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and award KUS-11-003-13 from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). The authors would like to thank Dr. Guang Chen for his expertise in the fabrication of PVA membranes.
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.
PY - 2014/11
Y1 - 2014/11
N2 - © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Separators are used to protect cathodes from biofouling and to avoid electrode short-circuiting, but they can adversely affect microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance. A spray method was used to apply a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) separator to the cathode. Power densities were unaffected by the PVA separator (339 ± 29 mW/m2), compared to a control lacking a separator in a low conductivity solution (1mS/cm) similar to wastewater. Power was reduced with separators in solutions typical of laboratory tests (7-13 mS/cm), compared to separatorless controls. The PVA separator produced more power in a separator assembly (SEA) configuration (444 ± 8 mW/m2) in the 1mS/cm solution, but power was reduced if a PVA or wipe separator was used in higher conductivity solutions with either Pt or activated carbon catalysts. Spray and cast PVA separators performed similarly, but the spray method is preferred as it was easier to apply and use.
AB - © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Separators are used to protect cathodes from biofouling and to avoid electrode short-circuiting, but they can adversely affect microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance. A spray method was used to apply a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) separator to the cathode. Power densities were unaffected by the PVA separator (339 ± 29 mW/m2), compared to a control lacking a separator in a low conductivity solution (1mS/cm) similar to wastewater. Power was reduced with separators in solutions typical of laboratory tests (7-13 mS/cm), compared to separatorless controls. The PVA separator produced more power in a separator assembly (SEA) configuration (444 ± 8 mW/m2) in the 1mS/cm solution, but power was reduced if a PVA or wipe separator was used in higher conductivity solutions with either Pt or activated carbon catalysts. Spray and cast PVA separators performed similarly, but the spray method is preferred as it was easier to apply and use.
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/599700
UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960852414012553
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84907486140&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.09.004
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.09.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 25260178
SN - 0960-8524
VL - 172
SP - 156
EP - 161
JO - Bioresource Technology
JF - Bioresource Technology
ER -