Abstract
•Pencil lead graphite has been found to be an efficient and biocompatible anode material.•The cylindrical single chambered microbial fuel cell using Bacillus subtilis shows 241.507 µWas power output and internal resistance as 7.578 Ω.•In comparison with high-cost anodic materials, pencil lead could be used as a low-cost alternative in an MFC for monitoring water toxicity.
Nowadays, the development of biofilm on the cost-effective polymer-based substrate (anode) to be employed in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) is considered important. The present study deals with the formation of Bacillus subtilis 168 biofilm on a pencil lead graphite that was assessed in an MFC using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).
The cylindrical single-chambered MFC was designed by using an air-cathode supported stainless steel mesh as a cathode and pencil lead graphite as an anode. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the biofilm formation. The monitoring of biofilm was conducted by impedance spectroscopy using a new Equivalent Electrical Circuit Model [R(QR)(Q[R(RQ)])]
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