Photo/electrocatalytic microbial fuel cell for simultaneous pollutant degradation and electricity production using g-C3N4 anchored on Ag-mIm

Abstract

The development of photo/electrocatalysts is an idea to simultaneously enhance power generation and pollutant degradation in a microbial fuel cell (MFC), which may improve its efficiency. Herein, a unique approach was taken to enhance the degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) by using a photo-assisted MFC technology with an Ag-2-methyl imidazole (mIm)/g-C3N4 photocathode. Various physicochemical analyses were imple-mented to confirm the successful synthesis of the prepared samples. From the electrochemical analysis, the high current density (0.1 mA cm2) and the low charge transfer resistance were recorded for Ag-mIm/0.01 g-C3N4 under light irradiation, which is more favorable for pollutants removal. Further investigation of the photo-assisted MFC with Ag-mIm/0.01 g-C3N4 modified cathode revealed the maximum power density of 45.37 mW m2 under the light irradiation, which was 1.8 times higher compared with the dark state. The study demonstrated that the degradation efficiency of MB under light can achieve up to 69%, with an initial con-centration of 30 mg L-1, after 72 h. This research suggested a promising process for further usage of MFCs in wastewater treatment.