High Performance Activated Carbon/Carbon Cloth Cathodes for Microbial Fuel Cells

Replacing precious metal catalysts by inexpensive activated carbon (AC) is a breakthrough in microbial fuel cell (MFC) cathode fabrication. In this study, AC powders made from bamboo, peat, coal, coconut, and hardwood sources are evaluated in terms of their electrochemical performance with carbon cloth as the base material. These ACs are characterized in terms of their conductivity, surface chemistry, surface area, and pore size distribution. The bamboo-based AC demonstrates the highest potential for use as a catalyst for carbon cloth based cathode, reaching 10.6 A m(-2) at 0V vs. Ag/AgCl and a loading of 25 mg cm(-2). The maximum power density reached 3.3 W m(-2) in CEA-MFCs. The high performance of the bamboo-based AC cathode was possible due to the good conductivity and suitable surface chemistry of the bamboo AC and the high surface area of the base material. The hydrostatic pressure tolerance of the AC carbon cloth cathode is greater than 1.8 m, allowing for a more versatile cathode, suitable for use in many different reactor configurations.