Studies on microbial fuel cell using rice water as substrate

Abstract

In the present study, electricity was produced from rice water which is considered as waste product using a H-shaped double chamber microbial fuel cell. The effect of silver nanoparticle, anode surface area, cathode surface area, and chemical treatment of electrodes on voltage and current generated by microbial fuel cell was investigated. It was found that with the help of silver nanoparticle, the maximum value of current produced by microbial fuel cell was increased from 0 .011µA to 10µA. Furthermore, when the anode surface area was increased from 55.25cm2 to 221cm2, the maximum value of power generated by microbial fuel cell was increased from 2070.2nW to 2339.1644nW and an increment of more than 50% power generation was achieved by increasing cathode surface area from 55.25cm2 to 221cm2. Similarly the chemical treatment of electrodes prior to the operation gave the maximum value of power generated by microbial fuel cell that equals to 32980nW while the corresponding current produced was 170µA. Since the conventional proton exchange membranes (nafion) used in microbial fuel cell are expensive. So in the present study, an alternative chitosan membrane which is comparatively cheaper and has lower value of impendence was found to be an effective separator for MFC.