Numerical investigation of biofilm conductivity effect on microbial fuel cell performance

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are processes used for simultaneous bioenergy capturing and wastes treating. In this study, a model based upon conduction mechanism for electron transfer is proposed which is mainly intended to investigate the effect of biofilm electrical conductivity and concentration film thickness on MFC’s performance through polarization curves. The investigation is accomplished by integrating external electrical resistance and cathodic overpotentials in potential equation. The model is consisted of substrate mass balances, current production, conduction and microbial distribution and growth. This study shows the ability of conduction-based model to evaluate the MFC’s performance in terms of polarization curves. Also, the simulation results reveal that biofilm conductivity could play a significant role in limiting MFC’s performance.

کلیدواژه ها:

Microbial fuel cells ، Modeling and simulation ، Biofilm conductivity ، External resistance ، Polarization curve