The enhancement of microbial fuel cell performance by anodic bacterial community adaptation and cathodic mixed nickel–copper oxides on a graphene electrocatalyst

Background Although microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a promising technology for capturing renewable energy from wastewater, their scaling-up is significantly limited by a slow-rate cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the development of a resilient anodic microbial community. In this study, mixed transition metal oxides of nickel and copper (Ni and Cu), supported on a graphene (G) (NiO–CuO/G) electrocatalyst, were synthesized and tested as a cost-effective cathode for ORR in MFCs. Electrochemical measurements of electrocatalyst were conducted using a rotating disk electrode (RDE) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) in a neutral electrolyte, and compared with a benchmark Pt/C catalyst. Furthermore, the long-term performance of the as-synthesized electrocatalyst was evaluated in a single-chamber MFC by measuring organic matter removal and polarization behavior. The successful enrichment of electroactive biofilm was also monitored using transmission electron microscopy and the Vitek2 compact system technique. Results When compared with the benchmark platinum cathode, the NiO–CuO/G electrocatalyst exhibited high selectivity toward ORR. The rotating disk electrode (RDE) experiments reveal that ORR proceeds via a 4-electron ORR mechanism. Furthermore, the NiO–CuO/G electrocatalyst also exhibited a high power density of 21.25 mW m −2 in an air-cathode MFC, which was slightly lower than that of Pt/C-based MFC (i.e., 50.4 mW m −2 ). Biochemical characterization of the most abundant bacteria on anodic biofilms identified four genera (i.e., Escherichia coli , Shewanella putrefaciens , Bacillus cereus , and Bacillus Thuringiensis/mycoides ) that belonged to Gammaproteobacteria , and Firmicutes phyla. Conclusions This study demonstrates that the NiO–CuO/G cathode had an enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward ORR in a pH-neutral solution. This novel mixed transition metal oxide electrocatalyst could replace expensive Pt-based catalysts for MFC applications.