Practical demonstration of applicability and efficiency of platinum group metal-free based catalysts in microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment

In this work, PGM-free catalysts were incorporated into large scale cathodes (2 × 367 cm2) and tested in BETT® reactors treating swine wastewater in real conditions. COD removal, cathode performance and overall reactors output was monitored along the experiments. The addition of Fe-AAPyr derived catalyst improved importantly the cathode activity and in turn the overall MFC power output. The cathode electrocatalytic activity remained comparable within the two months operation demonstrating the catalyst stability, durability and reliability in real environmental conditions. The overall power generated by the MFC system was variable and measured between 67 mW m−2 (day 63) and 120 mW m−2 (day 35). The variation in the power output along the experiment is a result of the fluctuating environmental conditions existing in natural environments.