Bioelectrocatalytic reduction by integrating pyrite assisted manganese cobalt-doped carbon nanofiber anode and bacteria for sustainable antimony catalytic removal

• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130378
• Publication Date: 2024-01-26T20:44:24Z
• Authors: Nan Jiang; Mengying Yan; Qi Li; Shengyang Zheng; Yuan Hu; Xiaoyang Xu; Lin Wang; Yanbiao Liu; Manhong Huang
• Keywords: Antimony; Manganese; Electricity; Bacteria; Bioelectric Energy Sources; Iron; Nanofibers; Cobalt; Sulfides; Electrodes; Carbon; Nitrosourea Compounds

A novel manganese cobalt metal-organic framework based carbon nanofiber electrode (MnCo/CNF) was prepared and used as microbial fuel cell (MFC) anode. Pyrite was introduced into the anode chamber (MnCoPy_MFC). Synergistic function between pyrite and MnCo/CNF facilitated the pollutants removal and energy generation in MnCoPy_MFC. MnCoPy_MFC showed the highest chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency (82 ± 1%) and the highest coulombic efficiency (35 ± 1%). MnCoPy_MFC achieved both efficient electricity generation (maximum voltage: 658 mV; maximum power density: 3.2 W/m3) and total antimony (Sb) removal efficiency (99%). The application of MnCo/CNF significantly enhanced the biocatalytic efficiency of MnCoPy_MFC, attributed to its large surface area and abundant porous structure that provided ample attachment sites for electroactive microorganisms. This study revealed the synergistic interaction between pyrite and MnCo/CNF anode, which provided a new strategy for the application of composite anode MFC in heavy metal removal and energy recovery.