Synthesis of proton exchange membranes for dual-chambered microbial fuel cells

Abstract

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) were synthesized using three different compositions of poly(oxyethylene) (POE), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), chitosan (CS) and phosphoric acid (PA) in weight ratios of 1:1:1:1, 1:2:1:1 and 1:3:1:1 by physical blending and the casting method. Water uptake of the membrane increases with increasing concentration of PVA. A higher percentage of water uptake signifies a higher ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the synthesized membrane. The synthesized membranes were evaluated in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and the performance observed. The synthesized membranes were characterized for identification of precursor material and inter polymer interactions using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, respectively. The removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) depends on the microbial activity in the anodic chamber. In the present study, the composition of the membrane was optimized and compared with other membranes that had been synthesized by different compositions of all materials. COD removal in the MFC-3 setup connected with an M-3 membrane was found to be 88 %.