Artículos regulares/Ingeniería ambiental

 

Disminución de la capacidad de intercambio catiónico en una pila de combustible microbiana y su relación con la densidad de potencia

 

Reduction of cation exchange capacity in a microbial fuel cell and its relation to the power density

 

J.A. Domínguez-Maldonado¹*, O. García-Rodríguez¹, M. Aguilar-Vega², M. Smit¹, L. Alzate-Gaviria¹

 

¹ Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán. (CICY). Mérida, Yucatán. Calle 43 No. 130, Col. Chuburná de Hidalgo, C.P. 97200. México. Unidad de Energía Renovable. *Autor para la correspondencia. E-mail: Joe2@cicy.mx Tel. (52) 999 9428330, Fax (52) 999 981 39 00.

² Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán. (CICY). Mérida, Yucatán. Calle 43 No. 130, Col. Chuburná de Hidalgo, CP. 97200. México. Unidad de Materiales Poliméricos.

 

Recibido 25 de Junio de 2013.
Aceptado 20 de Noviembre de 2013.

 

Resumen

Se realizó el diseño y construcción de una pila de combustible microbiana (PCM) tipo PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane), constituida por cuatro pares de cámaras con un volumen de 0.5 L cada una, separadas por una membrana de Nafion® 117. La celda fue monitoreada durante 122 días, utilizando agua residual sintética como fuente de carbono. La reducción de la capacidad de intercambio catiónico en la membrana, fue evaluada en dos fases: 1 y 2, la primera a los 43 días y la segunda a los 79 días. Los coeficientes de intercambio catiónico obtenidos en la fase 1 y fase 2 fueron 2.03 ×10^-3 y 1.25 ×10^-3 meq g^-1 polímero, respectivamente, lo que indica una disminución en las propiedades de intercambio catiónico de la membrana en el tiempo. Los valores máximos de la densidad de potencia obtenidos fueron 325 y 97 mWm^-3, respectivamente. La reducción de la potencia obtenida en la fase 2, se atribuyó a la pérdida de capacidad de intercambio catiónico, debido a incrustaciones de hierro y a la capa de depósito orgánico presentes en la membrana.

Palabras clave: capacidad de intercambio catiónico, membrana intercambiadora de protones, bioincrustación, pila de combustible microbiana, densidad de potencia.

 

Abstract

A PEM type Microbial Fuel Cell was designed and constructed. This cell consisted of four pairs of chambers with a volume of 0.5 L each one of them, separated by a Nafion®117 membrane. The cell was monitored during 122 days, using synthetic wastewater as carbon source. The reduction of cation exchange capacity in the membrane was evaluated in two phases: 1 and 2, the first one at 43 days and the second one at 79 days. The cationic exchange coefficients obtained were 2.03 ×10^-3 and 1.25 ×10^-3 meq g^-1 polymer, for phase 1 and 2 respectively, indicating a decrease in the cation exchange properties in the membrane. The maximum obtained power densities were 325 and 97 mW.m^-3, respectively. The reduction of power density at phase 2 was attributed to a decrease in the cation-exchange capacity by iron fouling and a formation of a biofouling layer in the membrane.

Keywords: cation exchange capacity, proton exchange membrane, biofouling, microbial fuel cell, power density.

 

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Agradecimientos

Los autores agradecen al Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) por el apoyo otorgado con el fondo de ciencia básica Sep-Conacyt con clave: 106416 para la realización de este proyecto. Agradecimiento al M. en C. Enrique Escobedo Hernández por el apoyo en la espectroscopia de impedancia electroquímica.

 

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