Performance of anaerobic fluidized bed microbial fuel cell with different porous anodes

Anode materials were used to construct microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and the characteristics of the anodes were important for successful applied performance of the MFCs. Via the cyclic voltammetry (CV) method, the experiments showed that 5 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were optimal for the PANI/MWNT film anodes prepared using 24 polymerization cycles. The maximum output voltage of the PANI/MWNT film anodes reached 967.7 mV with a power density of 286.63 mW·m^-2. Stable output voltages of 860 mV, 850 mV, and 870 mV were achieved when the anaerobic fluidized bed microbial fuel cell (AFBMFC) anodes consisted of carbon cloth with carbon black on one side, copper foam and carbon brushes, respectively. Pretreatment of the anodes before starting the AFBMFC by immersion in a stirred bacterial fluid significantly shortened the AFBMFC startup time. After the AFBMFC was continuously run, the anode surfaces generated active microbial catalytic material.