Stainless steel foam increases the current produced by microbial bioanodes in bioelectrochemical systems

Abstract

Stainless steel is gaining increasing interest as an anodic material in bioelectrochemical systems and beginning to challenge the more conventional carbon-based materials. Here, microbial bioanodes designed under optimal conditions on carbon cloths gave high current densities, 33.5 + 4.5 A m⁻² at −0.2 V/SCE, which were largely outstripped by the current densities of 60 to 80 A m⁻² at the same potential and more than 100 A m⁻² at 0.0 V/SCE provided by using stainless steel foams.