Modification of anode electrode in microbial fuel cell for electrochemical recovery of energy and copper metal

Effective and environment gracious methods are needed for the removal of copper as its biological toxicity, large volume and solubility leads to ground water pollution. We exhibit an anode modification by polypyrrole (PPy), reduced graphene oxide/polypyrrole (rGO/PPy) and reduced fullerene/polypyrrole (rC60/PPy) for the cathodic removal of copper using microbial fuel cell (MFC). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) confirm the higher conductivity and lower charge transfer resistance for rGO/PPy modified electrode. Maximum of 0.631 V open circuit potential for 100 mg/L Cu2+ concentration was obtained and accordingly, maximum power density was 835.21 ± 1.40 mW/m3 for rGO/PPy along with 82.8% Cu2+ removal as compare to 79.9% for rC60/PPy modified MFC. The study revealed 94.5% COD reduction using glucose as substrate for 100 mg/L Cu2+ concentration. This study shows the potential approach of cathodic Cu2+ reduction using MFC with unswerving energy generation.