Our study is about the low-cost construction of MFCs and one of our problems is determining which electrolyte would be best suited for our set-up, with the use of 250 mL mason jars as chamber materials, copper wire as connectors for electrodes, PPR pipes (with jute fibers) as salt bridge, E. coli as microbes, and graphite felt & aluminum as electrodes.
We have no idea how to determine which of the suggested low-cost electrolytes are better than others. Is there an independent procedure for testing electrolyte performance without using the set-ups or do we really need to test the electrolyte with the MFC and check its performance as a whole?
Please help us. We need this to graduate.