Fe/N Codoped Paper Carbon Fiber Foam Promoted Extracellular Electron Transfer for a High-Performance Microbial Fuel Cell

Anodes are considered an important component of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to recover electric energy from organic wastewater. Herein, Fe/N codoped paper carbon fiber foam was developed as an anode for MFCs to enhance electricity generation and wastewater treatment. The interconnected microporous network was beneficial for bacteria colonization and biofilm formation. The N doping enhanced the hydrophilicity to facilitate bacterial proximity. The Fe doping modulation adhered to the microorganisms due to the positive charge of iron ions. The codoped anode promoted the organic matter degradation efficiency and intrinsic electricity generation property based on the optimized thick biofilm. The high electricity output of MFCs was increased by the decreased internal resistance. The assembled MFCs possessed a short start-up time of 29.1 h, high maximum power density of 2270 ± 118 mW·m–2, desirable chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 71.7 ± 1.9%, and high decolorization efficiency of 90.3 ± 2.5% at 44 h. Fe/N codoped strategy is proposed to construct anodes for improving the electricity generation property and wastewater treatment efficiency of MFCs.