Planar co‐laminar flow microbial fuel cell with flow‐through porous electrodes.

Summary: Co‐laminar flow microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with flow‐through electrodes are proposed to improve the power density. Carbon paper was used for the porous electrodes and the membrane‐less MFCs containing a microscale (5.4 μL) anode chamber were microfabricated in a planar monolithic cell for integration with microfluidic devices. The diffusion region between the electrolytes was numerically analyzed and fuel cell performance experiments were conducted with a wastewater inoculum‐based mixed culture biofilm. The effects of the electrolyte flow rate (1‐30 μL min−1) and electrode width (0.5‐2.0 mm) on the fuel cell performance were investigated. The power density was maximized at 692 ± 34 W m−3 under optimal conditions including a 10 μL min−1 flow rate and 1.5 mm electrode width, resulting in suitable biofilm formation and low internal resistance. This study provides valuable information for the commercialization of microfluidic MFCs as a power source for portable medical and electronic instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]