Fe, N, S co-doped cellulose paper carbon fibers as an air-cathode catalyst for microbial fuel cells

Demin Jiang; Huina Chen; Hao Xie; Kai Cheng; Liang Li; Kun Xie; Yuqiao Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.115308

Fe, N, S co-doped cellulose paper carbon fibers as an air-cathode catalyst for microbial fuel cells

Environ Res. 2023 Mar 15:221:115308. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115308. Epub 2023 Jan 14.

Authors

Demin Jiang¹, Huina Chen², Hao Xie², Kai Cheng², Liang Li², Kun Xie³, Yuqiao Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Research Center for Nano Photoelectrochemistry and Devices, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China; School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, 404100, China.
² Research Center for Nano Photoelectrochemistry and Devices, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
³ School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, 404100, China.
⁴ Research Center for Nano Photoelectrochemistry and Devices, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China. Electronic address: yqwang@seu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36646199
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115308

Abstract

The heteroatoms and transition metal co-doped carbon-based catalysts are an important way to improve the catalytic activity of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we reported a facile method to obtain iron, nitrogen, and sulfur co-doped cellulose paper carbon fibers as catalysts (Fe-N-S/CFs) for ORR in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with the adsorption recovery of Congo red molecules from dye wastewater. The thermal treatment promoted the etching of carbon surface by ferric ions, resulting in increased surface roughness for forming the defective carbon structure. The rich active species and defective carbon formed on the etched surface to enhance the electroactive surface area and effective sites. Fe-N-S/CFs catalysts achieved high half-wave potential due to the synergy effect between chemical components and defect structures. The assembled single-chamber air cathode MFC gained a high maximum power density of 1773 ± 40 mW m^-2 versus Pt/C MFC of 1325 ± 94 mW m^-2. This work provides a strategy for recovering dye molecules from wastewater to prepare non-precious metal catalysts for enhancing ORR activity.

Keywords: Adsorption; Defective carbon; Dye wastewater; Fe; Microbial fuel cell; N; Oxygen reduction reaction; S co-doping.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bioelectric Energy Sources*
Carbon / chemistry
Carbon Fiber
Electrodes
Humans
Iron / chemistry
Wastewater

Substances

Carbon Fiber
Wastewater
Carbon
Iron