Effect of Fe-chelating complexes on a novel M2FC performance with ferric chloride and ferricyanide catholytes

As an effort to better utilize the microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology, we previously proposed an innovative MFC system named M2FC consisting of ferric-based MFC part and ferrous-based fuel cell (FC) part. In this reactor, ferric ion, the catholyte in the MFC part, was efficiently regenerated by the FC part with the generation of additional electricity. When both units were operated separately, the ferric-based MFC part produced approximately 1360 mW m−2 of power density with FeCl3 as catholyte and Fe-citrate as anolyte. The ferrous-based FC part with FeCl3 as catholyte and Fe-EDTA as anolyte displayed the highest power density (1500 mW m−2), while that with ferricyanide as catholyte and Fe-noligand as anolyte had the lowest power density (380 mW m−2). The types of catholytes and chelating complexes as anolyte were found to play important roles in the reduction of ferric ions and oxidation of ferrous ion. Linear sweep voltammetry results supported that the cathode electrolytes were electrically active and these agreed well with the M2FC reactor performance. These results clearly showed that ligands played critical role in the efficiency and rate for recycling iron ion and thus the M2FC performance.

► A M2FC system helped to move one step closer to the field application of the currently rather rudiment MFC technology.
► The types of catholytes found to play important roles in the reduction of Fe3+.
► LSV results supported that cathode electrolytes were electrically active.
► LSV results agreed well with the M2FC reactor performance.
► Ligands played critical role in the efficiency and rate for recycling Fe3+/Fe2+.