Sustainable synthesis of novel carbon microwires for the modification of a Ti mesh anode in bioelectrochemical systems.

Abstract Herein, an effective method was developed to integrate carbon microwires on Ti mesh (denoted as CM/TiM) to fabricate high-performance anodes with long-time stability in microbial fuel cell. CM/TiM was synthesized by colonizing filamentous fungi on the bread modified Ti mesh followed by carbonization, which could convert the attached mycelium into carbon microwires (denoted as CM). Benefiting from the biocompatibility and 3D interlaced structure of carbon microwires, the biomass accumulation (1027 ± 83 μg cm−2) of CM/TiM have been significantly improved nearly 3 folds, thus the fabricated CM/TiM demonstrated 2-fold higher current density (12.19 ± 0.07 A m−2) with significantly increased stability compared with TiM. Therefore, the present high power output, chemical stability and hydrophilic carbon microwires make CM/TiM stable, scalable and environmentally sustainable anodes in bioelectrochemical systems. Graphical abstract The waste organic matters are chosen as sources for synthesis of sustainable and cost-effective microwires for biocompatible modification of up-scale bioelectrochemical systems. Covering the Ti mesh with intensive microwires allowed more biofilm to colonize the anodes and achieve stable and efficient power output. Unlabelled Image Highlights • A novel carbon microwire was synthesized by an ecologically sustainable way. • Carbon microwires improved biocompatibility and stability of the Ti mesh anode. • CM/TiM provides a scalable and stable anode for BESs. • New method was proposed to handle organic waste into valuable microwires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]