Authors: Miriam Rosenbaum Uwe Schröder Fritz Scholz
Publish Date: 2006/05/31
Volume: 10, Issue: 10, Pages: 872-878
Abstract
In this communication we discuss the electrooxidation of the fermentation products formate and ethanol at platinum black modified electrodes under microbial fuel cell conditions ie at neutral pH room temperature and in microbial culture solutions The electrocatalytic oxidation was studied using cyclic voltammetry chronoamperometry and potentiostatic coulometry Current densities up to 6 mA cm−2 at 02 V oxidation potential and 97 coulombic efficiency were observed for the electrooxidation of 100 mM solutions of formate in pH 7 buffer solution Electrode deactivation could be successfully prevented using an oxidative potential reactivation procedure Polymer coating however fully stopped the formate oxidation As expected the electrooxidation of ethanol was less efficient—with a limiting current density being 600 μA cm−2
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