Effect of temperature on performance of microbial fuel cell using beer wastewater

The effects of temperature on performance and biological community structure were investigated in air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using beer wastewater amended with 50 mmol/L phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The maximum power density decreased from 483 mW/m² to 435 mW/m² when the temperature varied from 30°C to 20°C, meanwhile just a little decreasing on coulombic efficiency and the COD removal rate were observed. Decreasing of temperature resulted in effects both on cathode potential and anode potential, but cathode potential behaved much more sensitive to temperature. The half-saturation constants (K_s) obtained from the fit of Monod-type equation were 228 mg/L (30°C) and 293 mg/L (20°C) respectively. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis indicated that operating temperature not only affected the predominant population of the anodic bacterial community, but also had a great impact on the diversity of the cathodic microbial population.