Application of clayware ceramic separator modified with silica in microbial fuel cell for bioelectricity generation during rice mill wastewater treatment.

Ceramic separators have recently been investigated as low-cost, robust, and sustainable separators for application in microbial fuel cells (MFC). In the present study, an attempt was made to develop a low-cost MFC employing a clayware ceramic separator modified with silica. The properties of separators with varying silica content (10%-40% w/w) were evaluated in terms of oxygen and proton diffusion. The membrane containing 30% silica exhibited improved performance compared to the unmodified membrane. Two identical MFCs, fabricated using ceramic separators with 30% silica content (MFC