Cathode catalyst prepared from bacterial cellulose for ethanol fermentation stillage treatment in microbial fuel cell

Abstract Bacterial cellulose doped with P and Cu was used as a catalyst for a microbial fuel cell (MFC) cathode, which was then used to treat ethanol fermentation stillage from food waste. Corresponding output power, coulombic efficiency (CE), and biological toxicity were detected. Through a series of characterization experiments, the addition of the cathode catalyst was found to improve catalytic activity and accelerate the consumption of the substrate. The resulting maximum output power was 572.16 mW·m-2. CE and the removal rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the fermentation stillage by P-Cu-BC reached 26% and 64.5%, respectively. The rate of biotoxicity removal by MFC treatment reached 84.7%. The aim of this study was apply a novel catalyst for MFC and optimize the treatment efficiency of fermentation stillage.