Utilizing different food cultures for wastewater treatment and enhanced power generation in microbial fuel cells

Tariq Nawaz Chaudhary; Shaheryar Ahmed; Muhammad Usman; Ali O. M. Maka; Shafqat Rasool; Mohammad Ghaleeh; Baixin Chen

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107706

Utilizing different food cultures for wastewater treatment and enhanced power generation in microbial fuel cells

Tariq Nawaz Chaudhary, Shaheryar Ahmed, Muhammad Usman, Ali O. M. Maka, Shafqat Rasool, Mohammad Ghaleeh, Baixin Chen^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

This study investigates the impact of reactor architecture and biocompatibility of anode material on wastewater treatment and power generation in single-chamber (SC) and dual-chamber (DC) microbial fuel cells (MFCs) by utilizing different bacterial food cultures. Comparison between graphite-coated Cu (composite) and 304L stainless steel (SS) anodes is presented under optimized pH (7.13) and temperature (34 °C). Food cultures, especially buttermilk with an acetic acid substrate, significantly enhanced power density (PD), achieving 2.17 W/m2 using composite anode and 1.67 W/m2 using SS in SCMFCs. Mixed food cultures raised performance by ∼50 % achieving 3.31 W/m2 and 2.97 W/m2 using composite and SS anodes respectively. High chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates (>68 %) confirm effective wastewater treatment. These findings suggest that macroporous composite anodes can improve microbial compatibility and power output in MFCs, with optimal performance observed at neutral pH and ambient temperatures.

Original language	English
Article number	107706
Journal	Biomass and Bioenergy
Volume	195
Early online date	17 Feb 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107706
Publication status	Published - Apr 2025

Keywords

Composite anode
Food cultures
Microbial fuel cell
Power generation
Reactor optimization
Wastewater

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Forestry
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Agronomy and Crop Science
Waste Management and Disposal

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title = "Utilizing different food cultures for wastewater treatment and enhanced power generation in microbial fuel cells",

abstract = "This study investigates the impact of reactor architecture and biocompatibility of anode material on wastewater treatment and power generation in single-chamber (SC) and dual-chamber (DC) microbial fuel cells (MFCs) by utilizing different bacterial food cultures. Comparison between graphite-coated Cu (composite) and 304L stainless steel (SS) anodes is presented under optimized pH (7.13) and temperature (34 °C). Food cultures, especially buttermilk with an acetic acid substrate, significantly enhanced power density (PD), achieving 2.17 W/m2 using composite anode and 1.67 W/m2 using SS in SCMFCs. Mixed food cultures raised performance by ∼50 % achieving 3.31 W/m2 and 2.97 W/m2 using composite and SS anodes respectively. High chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates (>68 %) confirm effective wastewater treatment. These findings suggest that macroporous composite anodes can improve microbial compatibility and power output in MFCs, with optimal performance observed at neutral pH and ambient temperatures.",

keywords = "Composite anode, Food cultures, Microbial fuel cell, Power generation, Reactor optimization, Wastewater",

author = "Chaudhary, {Tariq Nawaz} and Shaheryar Ahmed and Muhammad Usman and Maka, {Ali O. M.} and Shafqat Rasool and Mohammad Ghaleeh and Baixin Chen",

year = "2025",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107706",

language = "English",

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journal = "Biomass and Bioenergy",

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AU - Chaudhary, Tariq Nawaz

AU - Ahmed, Shaheryar

AU - Usman, Muhammad

AU - Maka, Ali O. M.

AU - Rasool, Shafqat

AU - Ghaleeh, Mohammad

AU - Chen, Baixin

PY - 2025/4

Y1 - 2025/4

N2 - This study investigates the impact of reactor architecture and biocompatibility of anode material on wastewater treatment and power generation in single-chamber (SC) and dual-chamber (DC) microbial fuel cells (MFCs) by utilizing different bacterial food cultures. Comparison between graphite-coated Cu (composite) and 304L stainless steel (SS) anodes is presented under optimized pH (7.13) and temperature (34 °C). Food cultures, especially buttermilk with an acetic acid substrate, significantly enhanced power density (PD), achieving 2.17 W/m2 using composite anode and 1.67 W/m2 using SS in SCMFCs. Mixed food cultures raised performance by ∼50 % achieving 3.31 W/m2 and 2.97 W/m2 using composite and SS anodes respectively. High chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates (>68 %) confirm effective wastewater treatment. These findings suggest that macroporous composite anodes can improve microbial compatibility and power output in MFCs, with optimal performance observed at neutral pH and ambient temperatures.

AB - This study investigates the impact of reactor architecture and biocompatibility of anode material on wastewater treatment and power generation in single-chamber (SC) and dual-chamber (DC) microbial fuel cells (MFCs) by utilizing different bacterial food cultures. Comparison between graphite-coated Cu (composite) and 304L stainless steel (SS) anodes is presented under optimized pH (7.13) and temperature (34 °C). Food cultures, especially buttermilk with an acetic acid substrate, significantly enhanced power density (PD), achieving 2.17 W/m2 using composite anode and 1.67 W/m2 using SS in SCMFCs. Mixed food cultures raised performance by ∼50 % achieving 3.31 W/m2 and 2.97 W/m2 using composite and SS anodes respectively. High chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates (>68 %) confirm effective wastewater treatment. These findings suggest that macroporous composite anodes can improve microbial compatibility and power output in MFCs, with optimal performance observed at neutral pH and ambient temperatures.

KW - Composite anode

KW - Food cultures

KW - Microbial fuel cell

KW - Power generation

KW - Reactor optimization

KW - Wastewater

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U2 - 10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107706

DO - 10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107706

M3 - Article

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VL - 195

JO - Biomass and Bioenergy

JF - Biomass and Bioenergy

M1 - 107706

ER -

Utilizing different food cultures for wastewater treatment and enhanced power generation in microbial fuel cells

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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