Application of Low-Cost Transition Metal Based Co 0.5 Zn 0.5 Fe 2 O 4 as Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalyst for Improvin
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MRS Advances © 2018 Materials Research Society DOI: 10.1557/adv.2018.450
Application of Low-Cost Transition Metal Based Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 as Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalyst for Improving Performance of Microbial Fuel Cell Indrasis Das1; Md. T. Noori2; Gourav Dhar Bhowmick2; M.M. Ghangrekar1,* 1
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, 721302, India
2 Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, 721302, India
*Corresponding author: Email - [email protected]; [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Overpotential losses on cathode during oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) causes serious performance depletion in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). High cost of existing platinum based noble catalysts is one of the main reason for growing interest in the research of low cost sustainable cathode catalysts to improve ORR in order to enhance power generation from MFCs. The present study demonstrates application of low-cost bimetallic ferrite, Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4, as a cathode catalyst in MFC. The electrochemical tests of cathode having this catalyst revealed an excellent cathodic current response of 25.76 mA with less charge transfer resistance of 0.7 mΩ, showing remarkable catalytic activity. The MFC using this catalyst on cathode could generate a power density of 172.1 ± 5.2 mW/m2, which was found to be about 10 times higher than the power density of 15.2 ± 1.3 mW/m2 obtained from a MFC using only acetelyne black (AB) on cathode and noted even higher than the power density produced by MFC with Pt/C cathode (151.3 ± 2.8 mW/m2). In addition, the wastewater treatment in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of MFC with Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 on cathode was found to be better (87 %) among the tested MFCs. Hence, the results obtained from this study illustrates the applicability of Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 as an excellent and suitable cathode catalyst for scaling up of MFCs.
INTRODUCTION Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a green technology, which is suitable for treatment of wastewater and simultaneous one step electricity generation. Selective anaerobic oxidation of dissolve organic matter present in wastewater generates electrons, protons, CO2 etc. because of catalytic activity of electrogenic bacterial community in the anodic chamber. Due to natural voltage gradient between two reverse polar electrodes, separated
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with a proton exchange membrane (PEM) in MFC, proton moves from anodic to cathodic chamber and electrons flows through external circuit from anode to cathode [1]. In the cathodic chamber, oxygen is reduced by consuming electrons and protons, thus generating water (H2O). During this oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), activation overpotential loss is a serious issue, which hamper the current harvestin
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