Enhanced Electricity Generation and Heavy Metal Removal by a Rutile–Biochar Cathode MFC

Abstract

The issue of heavy metal pollution has gradually emerged as a significant global concern. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) hold immense potential for clean energy production and pollutant treatment. However, their limited power generation efficiency hampers the large-scale implementation of MFCs. The porous microstructure of biochar and the excellent physical and chemical properties of rutile render both materials promising catalysts with positive potential. In this study, we employed biochar as a carrier for rutile to fabricate a novel rutile–biochar (Rut-B) composite material, investigating its efficacy in enhancing MFC power generation efficiency as a cathode catalyst, as well as its application in heavy metal pollutant degradation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results confirmed the successful preparation of biochar-loaded rutile composites. The MFC achieved maximum current density and power density values of 152.26 mA/m2 and 9.88 mW/m2, respectively—an increase of 102.7% and 224% compared to the control group without the addition of Rut-B. Furthermore, the biochar-loaded rutile MFC exhibited excellent performance in degrading heavy metal pollutants; within 7 h, the Pb2+ degradation rate reached 92.4%, while the Zn2+ degradation rate reached 84%. These rates were significantly higher than those observed in the control group, by factors of 437.2% and 345%, respectively. The cyclic degradation experiments also demonstrated the outstanding stability of the system over multiple cycles. In summary, this study successfully combined natural rutile with biochar to create an efficient electrode catalyst that not only enhances electricity generation performance but also provides an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach for remediating heavy metal pollution.