Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7721542 | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy | 2013 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
To achieve sustainable hydrogen production by microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) without precious metal catalysts, we examined the potential of thermophilic microorganisms as biocatalysts on the cathode of MEC. A biocathode was firstly developed in a single-chambered MEC operated at 55 °C and further analyzed in a two-chambered MEC. Linear sweep voltammetry showed that the biocathode had a reducing activity significantly higher than the control electrodes (bioanode or non-inoculated electrode). At the potential of â0.8 V vs. SHE, the thermophilic biocathode produced a current density of 1.28 ± 0.15 A mâ2 and an H2 production rate of 376.5 ± 73.42 mmol dayâ1 mâ2, which were around 10 times higher than those of the non-inoculated electrode, with the cathodic H2 recovery of ca. 70%. The molecular-phylogenetic analysis of the bacteria on the biocathode indicated that the community was comprised of six phyla, in which Firmicutes was the most populated phylum (77% of the clones in the 16S rRNA library).
Related Topics
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Authors
Qian Fu, Hajime Kobayashi, Yoshihiro Kuramochi, Jing Xu, Tatsuki Wakayama, Haruo Maeda, Kozo Sato,