A Solar-Powered Microbial Electrolysis Cell with a Platinum Catalyst-Free Cathode To Produce Hydrogen
- 17 November 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Environmental Science & Technology
- Vol. 43 (24), 9525-9530
- https://doi.org/10.1021/es9022317
Abstract
This paper reports successful hydrogen evolution using a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)-powered microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) without a Pt catalyst on the cathode, indicating a solution for the inherent drawbacks of conventional MECs, such as the need for an external bias and catalyst. DSSCs fabricated by assembling a ruthenium dye-loaded TiO2 film and platinized FTO glass with an I−/I3− redox couple were demonstrated as an alternative bias (Voc = 0.65 V). Pt-loaded (0.3 mg Pt/cm2) electrodes with a Pt/C nanopowder showed relatively faster hydrogen production than the Pt-free electrodes, particularly at lower voltages. However, once the applied photovoltage exceeded a certain level (0.7 V), platinum did not have any additional effect on hydrogen evolution in the solar-powered MECs: hydrogen conversion efficiency was almost comparable for either the plain (71.3−77.0%) or Pt-loaded carbon felt (79.3−82.0%) at >0.7 V. In particular, the carbon nanopowder-coated electrode without Pt showed significantly enhanced performance compared to the plain electrode, which indicates efficient electrohydrogenesis, even without Pt by enhancing the surface area. As the applied photovoltage was increased, anodic methanogenesis decreased gradually, resulting in increasing hydrogen yield.Keywords
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Microbial Electrolysis Cells for High Yield Hydrogen Gas Production from Organic MatterEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2008
- Biohydrogen production via biocatalyzed electrolysis in acetate-fed bioelectrochemical cells and microbial community analysisInternational Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2008
- Microbial Fuel Cells: Recent Advances, Bacterial Communities and Application Beyond Electricity GenerationEnvironmental Engineering Research, 2008
- Hydrogen Production in a Single Chamber Microbial Electrolysis Cell Lacking a MembraneEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2008
- Hydrogen Production with a Microbial BiocathodeEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2007
- Sustainable and efficient biohydrogen production via electrohydrogenesisProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Performance of single chamber biocatalyzed electrolysis with different types of ion exchange membranesWater Research, 2007
- Principle and perspectives of hydrogen production through biocatalyzed electrolysisInternational Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2006
- Application of pyrolysed iron(II) phthalocyanine and CoTMPP based oxygen reduction catalysts as cathode materials in microbial fuel cellsElectrochemistry Communications, 2005
- Electrochemically Assisted Microbial Production of Hydrogen from AcetateEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2005