Browsing by Author "Tapia Flores, Natalia Fernanda"

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    Effect of hydrochar-doping on the performance of carbon felt as anodic electrode in microbial fuel cells
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2024) Delgado, Yelitza; Tapia Flores, Natalia Fernanda; Muñoz-Morales, Martín; Ramírez, Álvaro; Llanos, Javier; Vargas Cucurella, Ignacio Tomás; Fernández-Morales, Francisco Jesús; CEDEUS (Chile)
    In this study, the feasibility of using hydrochars as anodic doping materials in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated. The feedstock used for hydrochar synthesis was metal-polluted plant biomass from an abandoned mining site. The hydrochar obtained was activated by pyrolysis at 500 °C in N2 atmosphere. Under steady state conditions, the current exerted by the MFCs, as well as the cyclic voltammetry and polarization curves, showed that the activated hydrochar-doped anodes exhibited the best performance in terms of power and current density generation, 0.055 mW/cm2 and 0.15 mA/cm2, respectively. These values were approximately 30% higher than those achieved with non-doped or doped with non-activated hydrochar anodes which can be explained by the highly graphitic carbonaceous structures obtained during the hydrochar activation that reduced the internal resistance of the system. These results suggest that the activated hydrochar materials could significantly enhance the electrochemical performance of bioelectrochemical systems. Moreover, this integration will not only enhance the energy generated by MFCs, but also valorize metal polluted plant biomass within the frame of the circular economy.
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    Effect of hydrochar-doping on the performance of carbon felt as anodic electrode in microbial fuel cells
    (2024) Delgado, Yelitza; Tapia Flores, Natalia Fernanda; Muñoz-Morales, Martín; Ramírez, Álvaro; Llanos, Javier; Vargas Cucurella, Ignacio Tomás; Fernández-Morales, Francisco Jesús
    In this study, the feasibility of using hydrochars as anodic doping materials in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated. The feedstock used for hydrochar synthesis was metal-polluted plant biomass from an abandoned mining site. The hydrochar obtained was activated by pyrolysis at 500 °C in N2 atmosphere. Under steady state conditions, the current exerted by the MFCs, as well as the cyclic voltammetry and polarization curves, showed that the activated hydrochar-doped anodes exhibited the best performance in terms of power and current density generation, 0.055 mW/cm2 and 0.15 mA/cm2, respectively. These values were approximately 30% higher than those achieved with non-doped or doped with non-activated hydrochar anodes which can be explained by the highly graphitic carbonaceous structures obtained during the hydrochar activation that reduced the internal resistance of the system. These results suggest that the activated hydrochar materials could significantly enhance the electrochemical performance of bioelectrochemical systems. Moreover, this integration will not only enhance the energy generated by MFCs, but also valorize metal polluted plant biomass within the frame of the circular economy.
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    Granular activated carbon tubular microbial fuel cell for decentralized greywater treatment
    (2025) Gallardo Bustos, Carlos Gustavo; Tapia Flores, Natalia Fernanda; Vargas Cucurella, Ignacio Tomas
    This study developed a novel scalable tubular design of microbial fuel cells using granular activated carbon (GMFC). The GMFCs were tested over a year of batch-cycle operation for treating synthetic greywater and compared with aerated granular activated carbon biofilters (GBFs). The electrical performance of GMFCs with a non-aerated cathode presented a polarization shift along with high but unstable power densities, whereas, with the aerated cathode, the average power densities were stable. Direct microbial counting using epifluorescence and scanning electron microscopy revealed that GMFCs contain more sessile microorganisms than GBFs, suggesting that electrochemical systems favor biofilms. Ecological indices derived from community analysis suggested that GMFCs provide a less selective environment than GBFs and are more resilient to operation changes. The long-term operation, performance, and adsorption isotherm experiments suggested that the GMFC can use the organic matter adsorbed on the granules for bioregeneration without additional costs, leading to a robust long-term operation.