Publications by authors named "Jhansi L Varanasi"
Objective: To selectively enrich an electrogenic mixed consortium capable of utilizing dark fermentative effluents as substrates in microbial fuel cells and to further enhance the power outputs by optimization of influential anodic operational parameters.
Results: A maximum power density of 1.4 W/m was obtained by an enriched mixed electrogenic consortium in microbial fuel cells using acetate as substrate.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are emerging as a sustainable technology for waste to energy conversion where electrode materials play a vital role on its performance. Platinum (Pt) is the most common material used as cathode catalyst in the MFCs. However, the high cost and low earth abundance associated with Pt prompt the researcher to explore inexpensive catalysts.
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- A mixed culture of sulphate-reducing bacteria (TERI-MS-003) was used to create a biocathode on activated carbon fabric for converting volatile fatty acids into various organic compounds under specific electrical conditions.
- The product composition varied significantly based on the gas environment in the reactor; sealing the reactor led to the production of succinate, ethanol, hydrogen, glycerol, and propionate, while sparging with nitrogen favored acetone and other alcohols.
- The study emphasizes how the composition of gases in the reactor's headspace influences the outcomes of microbial electro-synthesis and the necessity for effective separation and recovery strategies for practical applications.
An anoxic biocathode was developed using sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) consortium on activated carbon fabric (ACF) and the effect of stainless steel (SS) mesh as additional current collector was investigated. Improved performance of biocathode was observed with SS mesh leading to nearly five folds increase in power density (from 4.79 to 23.
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