ABSTRACT Three-dimensional (3D) carbon felt was compared with two-dimensional (2D) carbon cloth in terms of their efficiency for application in a fungal microbial fuel cell to biodegrade acetaminophen (APAP). A solution of 300 mgL-1 of APAP was used in the anode compartment that played the role of carbon source for microorganisms. The study also aimed to investigate the efficiency of both pure fungal biofilm of Trichoderma harzianum versus a mixed biofilm of Trichoderma harzianum/Pseudomonas fluorescens in biodegradation APAP. The results revealed that 3D-carbon felt (CF) was able to provide a higher amount of power density of 0.13 mW m-2 and 1.7 mW m-2 both in pure and mixed biofilm, respectively On the other hand, almost 10 times lower power density values were achieved with systems using 2D-carbon cloth (CC) vs 3D-carbon felt (CF). From this standpoint, both systems employing mixed biofilm can be considered more efficient in terms of faster degradation of APAP with lower half-life time, regardless of the electrode type. Additionally, the 3D-carbon felt colonized by a mixed biofilm of fungal-bacterial showed at least 3 times higher biodegradation kinetic rate than the 2D-carbon cloth.
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