Development and Characterization of a Novel Lecithin and Biochar-Infused Antifouling Proton Exchange Membrane for Dual-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have significant potential to address three of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges concurrently: energy security, global warming, and waste management. MFCs serve as an interdisciplinary platform for study at the intersection of natural and engineering disciplines. The variety of factors affecting MFC performance has attracted attention since the start of the century. The present investigation demonstrates the facile synthesis of an eco-friendly proton-exchange membrane (PEM) for use in MFC applications. The PEM is fabricated by blending sulfonated water hyacinth biochar with chitosan and agar, followed by coating with phosphatidylcholine (PC) extracted from soybean lecithin. The as-synthesized membrane (biochar:chitosan:agar ratio of 2:1:1) possesses physicochemical properties, along with the presence of PC in its carbonaceous structure, leading to improved electrochemical properties. The resulting polymer exhibited favorable physicochemical characteristics, including an ion exchange capacity of (4.7 ± 0.58) × 10 −2 meq g −1 , a proton mass transfer coefficient of (5.01 ± 0.98) × 10 −5 cm s −1 , and a maximum power density of 3.41 ± 0.58 mW m −2 . The application of the developed PEM in MFCs resulted in a voltage output of 887 ± 20.5 mV and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 51.5 ± 10.26%. The investigation findings support the use of the developed polymer as a PEM for MFC applications on the field scale. The PEM addresses the issues of fouling and enhances the efficiency of MFCs for wastewater treatment, making it a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to synthetic membranes.