2013 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 71-79
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been receiving attention in the study field of wastewater treatment because it can recover an electrical energy directly with the treatment. In this study, MFC performance and bacterial community were investigated at different temperatures. The maximum voltage and coulombic efficiency were comparable between the MFCs using three types of ion-exchange membranes at the temperatures of 23, 28 and 33°C. However, the MFC performance with a cation-exchange membrane (CEM) was a little higher than with the two types of proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) at 28 and 33°C. The DNA band pattern on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) for the biomass attached to the anode electrode varied according to the temperature and the types of membrane, however, a definite relationship between the bacterial community and the temperature was not found.
