Catalytic and filterable polyester-filter membrane electrode with a high performance carbon foam–Fe–Co catalyst improved electricity generation and waste-water treatment in MBR–MFC

Abstract

Using the flat module membrane electrodes based on polyester filter modified with polyaniline (PANI)–phytic acid (PA), a new type of membrane bio-reactor (MBR) system is developed for both bio-electrochemical electricity generation and effluent filtration. A specifically prepared carbon foam–Fe–Co catalyst was coated on the conductive, filterable cathode membrane which makes it catalytic for enhancing cathodic oxygen reduction reaction and electricity generation. The cell voltage (with carbon foam–Fe–Co, 0.5–0.4 V) is superior to control test 1 (without any catalyst, 0.2 V), moreover, it is even better than control test 2 (with Pt–C catalyst, 0.5–0.3 V). The corresponding maximum power density of carbon foam–Fe–Co is 38.5 and 2.4 times higher than control test 1 and 2, respectively. More importantly, the base electrode materials and catalyst were both low-cost. The overall removal efficiency of COD and NH₄⁺–N are satisfactory, at 95% ± 2.5% and 85% ± 2.5%, respectively. This integrated system is easy to scale up for practical application in waste-water treatment and offers a better option in operating and coupling MBR with bio-electricity generation.