Effects of cathode catalyst modification on the performance of microbial fuel cells

Bio-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were modified with MnO₂/rGO and Pt/C; the effects of cathode catalyst modification on the performance of microbial fuel cells in electricity production and aged landfill leachate treatment were investigated. The results show that the MFC modified with MnO₂/rGO can significantly enhance the electricity production and the removal of contaminants. The MFC modified with 1.0 mg/cm² MnO₂/rGO exhibits a harvest voltage of 372 mV, power density of 194 mW/m³, chemical oxygen demand removal rate of 58.68%, and ammonia removal rate of 76.64%; such a performance is similar to that modified with Pt/C, but the cost is greatly reduced.