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. 2020 May 1;13(9):2078. doi: 10.3390/ma13092078

Table 2.

List of the materials used as anodes in MFCs.

Type of Material Electrodes Size of Anode Surface Area of Anode Catalyst Inoculum Source/
Bacteria
Power Density Reference
Anode Cathode
Carbon-based Carbon cloth Carbon cloth 2 cm × 2 cm 4 cm2 Without
catalyst
S. putrefaciens CN32 679.7 mW/m2 [104]
Composites rGO/SnO2/Carbon cloth composite Pt rode 3 cm × 2 cm 6 cm2 Pt E. coli 1624 mW/m2 [105]
Carbon-based Graphene Carbon cloth - 4 cm2 Pt E. coli 2850 mW/m2 [106]
Composites r GO/PPy Carbon paper 1 cm × 1.5 cm - Pt E. coli 1068 mW/m2 [73]
Carbon-based Graphene coating on Carbon cloth Carbon cloth 1 cm × 2 cm 4 cm2 Pt P. aeruginosa 52.5 mW/m2 [107]
Carbon-based Graphene oxide modification with carbon paper Carbon paper 5 × 3 cm2 - - Anaerobic Sludge 368 mW/m2 [108]
Composite Polyaniline (PANI) networks onto graphene nanoribbons (GNRs)-coated on carbon paper (CP/GNRs/PANI) Carbon paper 2 cm × 2 cm 4 cm2 Ti S. oneidensis MR-1 856 mW/m2 [89]
Carbon-based Graphene nanosheet coating on carbon paper Carbon cloth - - Pt S. oneidensis MR-1 610 mW/m2 [91]
Composites N-doped graphene nanosheets
(NGNS) on carbon cloth
Carbon cloth 1 cm × 1.5 cm 597 m2/g Pt E. coli 1008 mW/m2 [109]
Carbon-based Graphene oxide Carbon paper 2 cm × 1cm - Ti S. oneidensis MR-1 102 mW/m2 [90]
Carbon-based 3D-Graphene Carbon cloth 0 mm × 5 mm (diameter × thickness) 9.41 m2 Pt E. coli 1516 ± 87 mW/m2 [86]
Composites Graphene/PPy Carbon cloth - 136 g/m2 Without
catalyst
S. oneidensis MR-1 145 mW/m2 [110]
Carbon-based Carbon cloth Carbon cloth - 6 cm2 Without
catalyst
Wastewater 1292±69 mW/m2 [27]
Carbon-based Glassy carbon Carbon cloth 1.7cm × 1.8 cm 7 cm2 Pt Anaerobic sludge 1905 mW/m2 [111]
Composite Graphene powder/ Polytetrafluoroethylene on Carbon cloth Carbon cloth 4 × 4 cm2 - Pt Anaerobic pre-treated sludge 0.329 mW/m2 [112]
Carbon-based Carbon brush Carbon cloth with gas diffusion layers 2.5 cm × 2.5 cm 16 cm2 Ti Sludge 4.25 mW/m2 [113]
Carbon-based r-GO sheets/ carbon cloth carbon cloth - 4.5 cm2 Pt Anaerobic sludge 2.5 W/m3 [114]
Composite TiO2 and r GO composite Carbon fiber/brush 1 cm × 1 cm Anode projected surface area 1 cm2 Ti S. putrefaciens CN32 3169 mW/m2 [115]
Carbon-based Graphite brush Carbon cloth 3 cm × 2cm 8 cm2 Pt Native wastewater 1280 mW/m2 [116]
Carbon-based Carbon felt Carbon fiber felt 2.5 × 2.5 cm 2.5 cm2 Pt Anaerobic sludge 784 mW/m2 [117]
Composites Polypyrrole/
graphene oxide
Carbon felt 3.0 cm × 2.0 cm × 0.5 cm - Pt S. oneidensis 1326 mWm−2 [118]
Carbon-based + Polymer composite RGO/ Carbon cloth-PANI Carbon felt 1.8 cm × 1.8 cm - Pt Anaerobic Sludge 1390 mWm−2 [119]
Composites Graphene/Au composite Carbon paper - 6 cm2 Pt S. oneidensis MR-1 508 mW/m2 [120]
Carbon-based Graphene oxide wit CNT Carbon cloth - - Pt E. coli 434 mWm−2 [121]
Carbon-based Non-wet-proof carbon paper Non-wet-proof carbon paper - 10 cm2 Pt Mixed community 188 mWm−2 [122]
Carbon-based Carbon cloth /CNTs Carbon cloth/CNTs 3cm × 6 cm - Pt Domestic wastewater - acetate 65mW/m2 [123]
Carbon-based Carbon
paper
Carbon
paper
2.5 cm × 4.5 cm 22.5 cm2 Pt Primary clarifier overflow 600mW/m2 (anode area) [7]
Composites Graphite plates Platinum meshes - 155 cm2 - Shewanellaoneidensi 1410 mW/m2 [124]
Carbon-based Carbon mesh Carbon mesh 7 cm2 - Pt Preacclimated bacteria from an active MFC 893 mW/m2 [125]
Carbon-based Activated
carbon
cloth
Graphite foil - 1.5 cm2 in projected
area
Pt D. desulfuricans strain 0.51 mW/cm2 [20]
Composites Polypyrrole coating on carbon cloth Granular activated carbon Anode chamber:
450 mL, wet volume:
250 mL
- Pt Domestic wastewater 5 W/m3 [126]
Metal Stainless steel Stainless steel 20 × 30 cm, 0.12 m2 Pt Marine sediments 23 mW/m2 [127]
Carbon-based Non-wet proofed carbon cloth Wet proofed carbon cloth - 7 cm2 Pt Domestic wastewater 766 mW/m2 [128]
Composites Stainless Steel Mesh coated with Carbon cloth Carbon black - 7 cm2 Pt Domestic wastewater 1610 ± 56 mW/m2 [129]
Carbon-based Plain Carbon paper Carbon paper 2.5 × 4.5 cm - Pt Sediment sludge 33 mW/m2 [130]
Carbon-based Granular graphite Granular graphite Granular diameters: 1.5–5 mm 817 m2 Pt Mixture of sediment, aerobic and anaerobic sludge 8 W/m3 [131]
Carbon-based Granular graphite Graphite felts 40 mL - Pt Mixture of sediment, aerobic and anaerobic sludge 83 ± 11 W/m3 [132]
Carbon-based Graphite plate Graphite fiber brushes 1.2 cm × 4.6 cm × 4 cm 28 cm2 Pt Aerobic sludge 68.4 W/m3 [133]
Metal and metal oxide Ti/TiO2 Pt meshes - - Pt Swamp sediments 2317 W/m3 [134]
Metal and metal oxide Titanium rod graphite felt 20 mm 20 ± 1 cm2 Pt Pre-acclimated bacteria - [135]
Composite Zero-dimension nitrogen-doped carbon dots modification with carbon paper Carbon paper 2.5 cm2 × 2.5 cm2 - Pt Pseudomonas 0.32 mW/m2 [136]
Composites Nickel foam/CNTs/PANI carbon cloth - 1 cm2 of anode surface-area Without catalyst Shewanella Sp. 113 W/m3 [137]
Metal and metal oxide Titanium - 2 cm × 2 cm - Pt G. sulfurreducens - [138]

DMFC = Double Chamber microbial fuel cell; SMFC = Single chamber microbial fuel cell; Stainless Steel = SS. GO = Graphene oxide; PPy = Polypyrrole; CNT = Carbon nanotubes; Au = Gold; PANI = Polyaniline; Pt = Platinum.