Two-dimensional carbon cloth and three-dimensional carbon felt perform similarly to form bioanode fed with food waste

Abstract

Two-dimensional carbon cloth and three-dimensional carbon felt were compared for their capacity to form bioanodes for food waste treatment. Wastewater was used as the dilution medium instead of a synthetic solution to be close to industrial conditions. In both cases, microbial cells were mainly wrapped around the fibers of the electrodes. The biofilms were around 80–120 μm thick with a 39.3% microbial volume ratio on carbon cloths. On carbon felt, the biofilms showed a lower microbial volume ratio of 16.3% on the upper layers but with a penetration depth of 200–800 μm. The biofilm patterns were different but they resulted in similar current density, around 3.5 A/m2.When chemically rich media have to be implemented, 2D cloth offers a worthwhile solution that can equal 3D porous materials.