Journal of Energy Bioscience 2024, Vol.15, No.4, 233-242 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 238 anode (Tahir et al., 2022). Additionally, graphene oxide (GO) and GO-polymer-metal oxide (GO-PANI-Ag) composites were prepared from biomass and used as anode materials (Yaqoob et al., 2022). These modifications aimed to improve the surface area, conductivity, and biocompatibility of the electrodes, thereby enhancing microbial growth and electron transfer. 6.3 Results and discussion The modified electrode materials demonstrated significant improvements in MFC performance compared to conventional materials. The FeCo/NCNTs@CF anode exhibited a power density of 3.04 W/m² and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate of 221.0 mg/L/d, representing improvements of 47.6% and 290.1%, respectively, over bare CF (Wang et al., 2022). Similarly, the TpPa-1@CF anode showed a 4.3-fold increase in power density (1 069 mW/m²) and a 12.7-fold increase in current density (1 954 mA/m²) compared to uncoated electrodes (Tahir et al., 2022). The GO-PANI-Ag composite anode achieved an energy efficiency of 2.09 mW/m² and demonstrated high heavy metal removal rates, with 78.10% removal of Pb(II) and 80.25% removal of Cd(II) (Yaqoob et al., 2022) (Figure 2). Figure 2 SEM images before and after the operation of MFCs: (a) GO anode before operation, (b) GO-PANI-Ag anode before operation, (c) GO anode after operation, and (d) GO-PANI-Ag anode after operation (Adopted from Yaqoob et al., 2022) 6.4 Comparison with conventional electrode materials Conventional electrode materials such as carbon, graphite, stainless steel, and ceramics have been widely used in MFCs but often suffer from limitations in electron transfer efficiency and microbial attachment (Abd-Elrahman et al., 2022; Starowicz et al., 2023). The modified electrodes in this study, including those incorporating nanomaterials and advanced composites, showed superior performance by enhancing the surface area, reducing charge transfer resistance, and promoting biofilm formation. For example, the hierarchical nanostructures and COF-modified surfaces provided more active sites for microbial adhesion and facilitated faster EET, leading to higher power outputs and better wastewater treatment efficiency (Liang et al., 2022; Tahir et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2022). 6.5 Implications for future MFC designs The findings from this study have significant implications for the future design and development of MFCs. The use of advanced nanomaterials and composite structures for electrode modification can substantially improve the performance and efficiency of MFCs. Future research should focus on optimizing these materials for large-scale
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