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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
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Searching... | 30000003491069 | TP339 L63 2008 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
The theory, design, construction, and operation of microbial fuel cells
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), devices in which bacteria create electrical power by oxidizing simple compounds such as glucose or complex organic matter in wastewater, represent a new and promising approach for generating power. Not only do MFCs clean wastewater, but they also convert organics in these wastewaters into usable energy. Given the world's limited supply of fossil fuels and fossil fuels' impact on climate change, MFC technology's ability to create renewable, carbon-neutral energy has generated tremendous interest around the world.
This timely book is the first dedicated to MFCs. It not only serves as an introduction to the theory underlying the development and functioning of MFCs, it also serves as a manual for ongoing research. In addition, author Bruce Logan, a leading pioneer in MFC research and development, provides practical guidance for the effective design and operation of MFCs based on his own firsthand experience.
This reference covers everything you need to fully understand MFCs, including:
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Key topics such as voltage and power generation, MFC materials and architecture, mass transfer to bacteria and biofilms, bioreactor design, and fundamentals of electron transfer
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Applications across a wide variety of scales, from power generation in the laboratory to approaches for using MFCs for wastewater treatment
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The role of MFCs in the climate change debate
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Detailed illustrations of bacterial and electrochemical concepts
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Charts, graphs, and tables summarizing key design and operation variables
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Practice problems and step-by-step examples
Microbial Fuel Cells, with its easy-to-follow explanations, is recommended as both a textbook for students and professionals interested in entering the field and as a complete reference for more experienced practitioners.
Author Notes
Bruce E. Logan, PhD, is the Stan and Flora Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering at Penn State University, and Director of Penn State's Hydrogen Energy (H2E) Center and the Engineering Environmental Institute
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Well written in a clear, efficient, relaxed style, Microbial Fuel Cells is highly informational and educational. Following an introductory chapter discussing the world's energy needs, climate change, renewable energy, and the role of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology, Logan (Pennsylvania State Univ.) presents the requirements and characteristics of all key fuel cell materials and assemblies, comparing and contrasting the performance of each using detailed (and clearly typed) reaction and performance equations. The many examples in every chapter include insights and comments to help the reader understand and gain perspective on new material. The chapter titled "Fun!" is an example of the practical, yet still sophisticated, knowledge awaiting the reader of this well researched, prepared, and designed volume. The book concludes with a discussion of the future for MFC technology. The volume includes nearly 200 relevant (recently published) references, more than 75 color plates and detailed diagrams of operating fuel cells and laboratory experiments, and an abundance of clearly notated and well-placed device performance and reaction graphs. This reviewer commends the author and the publisher for the quality, readability, and thorough coverage of this important technology. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. S. R. Walk Old Dominion University
Table of Contents
Preface | p. xi |
1 Introduction | p. 1 |
1.1 Energy needs | p. 1 |
1.2 Energy and the challenge of global climate change | p. 2 |
1.3 Bioelectricity generation using a microbial fuel cell-the process of electrogenesis | p. 4 |
1.4 MFCs and energy sustainability of the water infrastructure | p. 6 |
1.5 MFC technologies for wastewater treatment | p. 7 |
1.6 Renewable energy generation using MFCs | p. 9 |
1.7 Other applications of MFC technologies | p. 11 |
2 Exoelectrogens | p. 12 |
2.1 Introduction | p. 12 |
2.2 Mechanisms of electron transfer | p. 13 |
2.3 MFC studies using known exoelectrogenic strains | p. 18 |
2.4 Community analysis | p. 22 |
2.5 MFCs as tools for studying exoelectrogens | p. 27 |
3 Voltage Generation | p. 29 |
3.1 Voltage and current | p. 29 |
3.2 Maximum voltages based on thermodynamic relationships | p. 30 |
3.3 Anode potentials and enzyme potentials | p. 36 |
3.4 Role of communities versus enzymes in setting anode potentials | p. 40 |
3.5 Voltage generation by fermentative bacteria? | p. 41 |
4 Power Generation | p. 44 |
4.1 Calculating power | p. 44 |
4.2 Coulombic and energy efficiency | p. 48 |
4.3 Polarization and power density curves | p. 50 |
4.4 Measuring internal resistance | p. 54 |
4.5 Chemical and electrochemical analysis of reactors | p. 57 |
5 Materials | p. 61 |
5.1 Finding low-cost, highly efficient materials | p. 61 |
5.2 Anode materials | p. 62 |
5.3 Membranes and separators (and chemical transport through them) | p. 68 |
5.4 Cathode materials | p. 76 |
5.5 Long-term stability of different materials | p. 83 |
6 Architecture | p. 85 |
6.1 General requirements | p. 85 |
6.2 Air-cathode MFCs | p. 86 |
6.3 Aqueous cathodes using dissolved oxygen | p. 95 |
6.4 Two-chamber reactors with soluble catholytes or poised potentials | p. 97 |
6.5 Tubular packed bed reactors | p. 102 |
6.6 Stacked MFCs | p. 104 |
6.7 Metal catholytes | p. 105 |
6.8 Biohydrogen MFCs | p. 108 |
6.9 Towards a scalable MFC architecture | p. 110 |
7 Kinetics and Mass Transfer | p. 111 |
7.1 Kinetic- or mass transfer-based models? | p. 111 |
7.2 Boundaries on rate constants and bacterial characteristics | p. 112 |
7.3 Maximum power from a monolayer of bacteria | p. 116 |
7.4 Maximum rate of mass transfer to a biofilm | p. 118 |
7.5 Mass transfer per reactor volume | p. 122 |
8 MECS for Hydrogen Production | p. 125 |
8.1 Principle of operation | p. 125 |
8.2 MEC systems | p. 127 |
8.3 Hydrogen yield | p. 131 |
8.4 Hydrogen recovery | p. 132 |
8.5 Energy recovery | p. 134 |
8.6 Hydrogen losses | p. 142 |
8.7 Differences between the MEC and MFC systems | p. 145 |
9 MFCs for Wastewater Treatment | p. 146 |
9.1 Process trains for WWTPs | p. 146 |
9.2 Replacement of the biological treatment reactor with an MFC | p. 149 |
9.3 Energy balances for WWTPs | p. 154 |
9.4 Implications for reduced sludge generation | p. 157 |
9.5 Nutrient removal | p. 158 |
9.6 Electrogenesis versus methanogenesis | p. 159 |
10 Other MFC Technologies | p. 162 |
10.1 Different applications for MFC-based technologies | p. 162 |
10.2 Sediment MFCs | p. 162 |
10.3 Enhanced sediment MFCs | p. 166 |
10.4 Bioremediation using MFC technologies | p. 168 |
11 Fun! | p. 171 |
11.1 MFCs for new scientists and inventors | p. 171 |
11.2 Choosing your inoculum and media | p. 174 |
11.3 MFC materials: electrodes and membranes | p. 175 |
11.4 MFC architectures that are easy to build | p. 176 |
11.5 MEC reactors | p. 180 |
11.6 Operation and assessment of MFCs | p. 181 |
12 Outlook | p. 182 |
12.1 MFCs yesterday and today | p. 182 |
12.2 Challenges for bringing MFCs to commercialization | p. 183 |
12.3 Accomplishments and outlook | p. 184 |
Notation | p. 186 |
References | p. 189 |
Index | p. 199 |