Four biofilm carriers including pyrite, manganese ore, ceramsite, and polyurethane sponge were used to construct microbial separators (MSs), while their performance in dual-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was evaluated. Polyurethane sponge and pyrite were superior biofilm carriers for MSs. The dense biofilm on the polyurethane sponge provides MS with optimal barrier capacity against dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen demand. Pyrite’s unique redox activity enhances proton transfer in MS and reduces ohmic resistance in MFC. The optimal thicknesses of polyurethane sponge MS and pyrite MS were 1.20 and 1.80 cm, and the maximum power densities of MFCs equipped with these two MSs were 14.62 and 11.21 W/m3. Using MSs as separators can significantly lower MFC manufacturing costs, particularly with polyurethane sponge MS at 3.52 $/m2. Additionally, MSs demonstrated good regenerability. These results indicated that MSs based on pyrite and polyurethane sponge have the potential to be high-effective separators for MFC scale-up.

中文翻译：

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选择和优化生物膜载体作为微生物燃料电池中的高效微生物分离器


使用包括黄铁矿、锰矿石、陶粒和聚氨酯海绵在内的四种生物膜载体构建微生物分离器 （MS），同时评估它们在双室微生物燃料电池 （MFC） 中的性能。聚氨酯海绵和黄铁矿是 MS 的优越生物膜载体。聚氨酯海绵上致密的生物膜为 MS 提供了最佳的阻隔能力，可抵抗溶解氧和化学需氧量。黄铁矿独特的氧化还原活性可增强 MS 中的质子转移，并降低 MFC 中的欧姆电阻。聚氨酯海绵 MS 和黄铁矿 MS 的最佳厚度为 1.20 和 1.80 cm，配备这两种 MS 的 MFC 的最大功率密度分别为 14.62 和 11.21 W/m3。使用 MS 作为隔膜可以显著降低 MFC 制造成本，尤其是 3.52 $/m2 的聚氨酯海绵 MS。此外，MS 表现出良好的可再生性。这些结果表明，基于黄铁矿和聚氨酯海绵的 MS 有可能成为 MFC 放大的高效隔膜。