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10.3390/w17213064
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Article

Performance Comparison of Microbial Fuel Cells Using Ceramic Membranes Fabricated from Various Commercial Clays for Wastewater Treatment Purposes

by
Fernando Andrés Rojas Aguilar
1,
Víctor A. Ramírez Coutiño
2,
Luis A. Godínez
3 and
Francisco J. Rodríguez-Valadez
1,*
1
Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Electroquímica SC, Parque Tecnológico Querétaro Sanfandila s/n, Pedro Escobedo 76703, Mexico
2
División de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Tecnológica de Querétaro, Av. Pie de la Cuesta 2501, Nacional, Querétaro 76148, Mexico
3
Centro de Investigación en Química para la Economia Circular, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Centro Universitario, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2025, 17(21), 3064; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213064
Submission received: 24 September 2025 / Revised: 16 October 2025 / Accepted: 22 October 2025 / Published: 26 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Microbial Technology in Wastewater Treatment)
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Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a sustainable alternative for wastewater treatment by simultaneously removing organic pollutants and generating energy. In this work, ceramic membranes were fabricated from low-cost locally available clays and tested as separators in MFCs. The systems achieved chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of up to 95%, comparable to those obtained with conventional Nafion membranes. In terms of energy performance, the ceramic membranes maintained open-circuit voltages of 0.80 ± 0.05 V during batch operation with voltage generation cycles ranging from 6 to 3 days, and delivered power densities between 140 and 180 mW/m2 under closed-circuit conditions. These values were very similar to those obtained with Nafion. The ceramic membranes maintained consistent COD removal performance during successive batch feeding cycles, confirming their stability under repeated operation. Overall, these results highlight the potential of ceramic materials as cost-effective and robust alternatives for large-scale wastewater treatment using MFC technology.
Keywords: microbial fuel cell; COD reduction; synthetic wastewater; ceramic membranes; coulombic efficiency microbial fuel cell; COD reduction; synthetic wastewater; ceramic membranes; coulombic efficiency

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MDPI and ACS Style

Aguilar, F.A.R.; Coutiño, V.A.R.; Godínez, L.A.; Rodríguez-Valadez, F.J. Performance Comparison of Microbial Fuel Cells Using Ceramic Membranes Fabricated from Various Commercial Clays for Wastewater Treatment Purposes. Water 2025, 17, 3064. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213064

AMA Style

Aguilar FAR, Coutiño VAR, Godínez LA, Rodríguez-Valadez FJ. Performance Comparison of Microbial Fuel Cells Using Ceramic Membranes Fabricated from Various Commercial Clays for Wastewater Treatment Purposes. Water. 2025; 17(21):3064. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213064

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aguilar, Fernando Andrés Rojas, Víctor A. Ramírez Coutiño, Luis A. Godínez, and Francisco J. Rodríguez-Valadez. 2025. "Performance Comparison of Microbial Fuel Cells Using Ceramic Membranes Fabricated from Various Commercial Clays for Wastewater Treatment Purposes" Water 17, no. 21: 3064. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213064

APA Style

Aguilar, F. A. R., Coutiño, V. A. R., Godínez, L. A., & Rodríguez-Valadez, F. J. (2025). Performance Comparison of Microbial Fuel Cells Using Ceramic Membranes Fabricated from Various Commercial Clays for Wastewater Treatment Purposes. Water, 17(21), 3064. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213064

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