Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) can be conveniently used for wastewater treatment and bioelectricity production. Their efficiency is strongly influenced by the physico-chemical properties of the ion-conducting membrane. In this work we prepare Nafion™-based composite membranes by using mesoscale SBA-15 silica, and organic-inorganic fillers obtained by functionalizing SBA-15 with SO3H groups. The proposed membranes are tested as alternative separators in MFCs for applications in wastewater treatment and their performances compared to those of standard Nafion™ 117. Prolonged (3 months) MFC operation shows that the composite membrane with 5 wt% of SBA-15 functionalized with 10 mol% of SO3H gives maximum power density of 380 mW m−3, namely three times better than that of Nafion™ after 90 days of operation. The same membrane offers a very effective COD removal after 14 days (more than 95%), an impressive coulombic efficiency of 34%, and very high resistance to biofouling. We conclude that the use of silica-based SO3H functionalized fillers is a powerful strategy to improve the performances of Nafion™ membranes in MFCs.

Angioni, S., Millia, L., Bruni, G., Tealdi, C., Mustarelli, P., Quartarone, E. (2016). Improving the performances of Nafion™-based membranes for microbial fuel cells with silica-based, organically-functionalized mesostructured fillers. JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES, 334, 120-127 [10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.10.014].

Improving the performances of Nafion™-based membranes for microbial fuel cells with silica-based, organically-functionalized mesostructured fillers

Mustarelli, P;
2016

Abstract

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) can be conveniently used for wastewater treatment and bioelectricity production. Their efficiency is strongly influenced by the physico-chemical properties of the ion-conducting membrane. In this work we prepare Nafion™-based composite membranes by using mesoscale SBA-15 silica, and organic-inorganic fillers obtained by functionalizing SBA-15 with SO3H groups. The proposed membranes are tested as alternative separators in MFCs for applications in wastewater treatment and their performances compared to those of standard Nafion™ 117. Prolonged (3 months) MFC operation shows that the composite membrane with 5 wt% of SBA-15 functionalized with 10 mol% of SO3H gives maximum power density of 380 mW m−3, namely three times better than that of Nafion™ after 90 days of operation. The same membrane offers a very effective COD removal after 14 days (more than 95%), an impressive coulombic efficiency of 34%, and very high resistance to biofouling. We conclude that the use of silica-based SO3H functionalized fillers is a powerful strategy to improve the performances of Nafion™ membranes in MFCs.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Composite membranes; MFC; Microbial fuel cells; Nafion; PEMs; Wastewater treatment;
Composite membranes; MFC; Microbial fuel cells; Nafion; PEMs; Wastewater treatment; Renewable Energy; Sustainability and the Environment; Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Physical and Theoretical Chemistry; Electrical and Electronic Engineering
English
2016
334
120
127
reserved
Angioni, S., Millia, L., Bruni, G., Tealdi, C., Mustarelli, P., Quartarone, E. (2016). Improving the performances of Nafion™-based membranes for microbial fuel cells with silica-based, organically-functionalized mesostructured fillers. JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES, 334, 120-127 [10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.10.014].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/219384
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