Recent Advancement of Nickel Based-Cathode for The Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) and Its Future Prospect

The cost of a cathode and/or catalyst in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is one of the main factors that must be considered before its application in a reactor. More than 45 % of total MEC cost is contributed by cathode material. Currently, platinum (Pt) has become the primary option as cathode or catalyst in MEC because it has superior catalytic properties for hydrogen evolution reaction. The high-price of Pt and its prone to being poisoned by the buffer in the electrolyte, calls for an alternative cathode or catalyst study. Some non-precious metals such as nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), stainless steel (SS) and composites were explored to replace Pt. Among these materials, Ni is one of the best options because it has excellent catalytic properties, inexpensive, commercially available, less over-potential, and less toxic to living organisms. In most reports, Ni was applied in MEC to produce hydrogen from wastewater which showed comparable performance to Pt. This paper reviews the current status and future prospect of Ni performance as the cathode or catalyst in MEC for hydrogen production, based on the hydrogen cathodic recovery and production rate. © 2022. School of Science, IHU. All rights reserved.