[Spider_Single_Video track=”23″ theme_id=”6″ priority=”0″]
S.M. Sambavi
IX Standard, Maharishi International Residential School, Sunguvar Chatiram – 602 106, Kanchipuram – District, Tamil Nadu State, India
Increasing human activities leads to the depletion of fossil fuels. It also leads to more pollution. Microbial fuel cells that use bacteria to convert organic matter into electrical current are being used for energy recovery purpose. This energy can be produced by using different resistances in the circuit for specific period of time. In this experiment, a laboratory scale, two chambered MFC was operated in batch mode. Confectionery wastewater was used as substrate and mangrove sediment as innoculum by maintaining pH of 5.5 at 30 – 35˚C. The substrate with innoculum was taken in an anode chamber. In cathode chamber potassium permanganate solution was used as cathodic solution (electron acceptors). The salt bridge was used for the electrolytic contact of the solutions in the two chambers. In each chamber one electrode made of graphite plate was immersed. In the experiment conducted with the initial substrate concentrations of 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 10000 mg COD/L, maximum COD removal efficiency of 76.5, 96.0, 85.0, 66.0 and 64.0%, respectively was recorded. The current generated under the applied external resistance of R=100Ω for the said initial substrate concentrations was 7.77, 8.10, 7.98, 2.65, 1.25 mA, respectively. The initial substrate concentration of 4000 mg COD/L was found to be optimum since it registered maximum COD removal efficiency and electricity generation. Iron nanoparticles were synthesized and used as a catalyst to enhance the production of electricity. In the further experiments with the optimum initial substrate concentration of 4000 mg COD/L with five different iron nanoparticles concentrations such as, 0.010, 0.050, 0.100, 0.150 and 0.200 g/L, maximum potential recorded was 93.0, 850, 870, 567 and 140 mV, respectively. The optimum iron nanoparticles concentration of 0.100 g/L, enhanced the potential by 6.9%.
Research Guide : P. Mullai, Pollution Control Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar – 608002, Tamil Nadu State, India