Impacts of hydraulic retention time on a continuous flow mode dual-chamber microbial fuel cell for recovering nutrients from municipal wastewater

Abstract An innovative design approach was employed in the present study to enhance the electricity generation and wastewater treatment in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). A dual-chambered MFC with a ceramic separator was coupled with an acidogenic chamber. Acidogenic bioconversion of rice mill wastewater into volatile fatty acid (VFA) represents an interesting approach for wastewater valorization. The VFA containing effluent could be used as an effective substrate for bioelectricity generation in MFCs. A short hydraulic retention time (HRT) can be used for the two-stage anaerobic process (acidogenesis and electrogenesis), thus preventing the proliferation of methanogens. The effect of pH (5.5–7.5) and HRT (0.5 d–0.75 d) were investigated to understand the influence of operational parameters on the performance of the integrated system. The maximum VFA concentration of 1065.15 ± 5.08 mg COD/L was achieved at pH 7.5 and HRT 0.5 d. Under these operating conditions, the general activity of acid-forming microorganisms and exoelectrogens improved remarkably, and the power density obtained from the system was 4.72 ± 0.10 W/m3. The current research indicates excellent potential for simultaneous treatment and electricity production from rice mill wastewater. The use of low-cost, locally manufactured, and customized membranes and the two-stage treatment can pave the way for the practical application of this technology.

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Assessing the factors influencing the performance of constructed wetland–microbial fuel cell integration

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2020.135 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 631-643 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Huang Jingyu ◽

Nicholas Miwornunyuie ◽

David Ewusi-Mensah ◽

Desmond Ato Koomson

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Constructed Wetland ◽

Retention Time ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Hydraulic Retention Time ◽

Wetland Plants ◽

Wide Range

Abstract Constructed wetland coupled microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) systems integrate an aerobic zone and an anaerobic zone to treat wastewater and to generate bioenergy. The concept evolves based on the principles of constructed wetlands and plant MFC (one form of photosynthetic MFC) technologies, of which all contain plants. CW-MFC have been used in a wide range of application since their introduction in 2012 for wastewater treatment and electricity generation. However, there are few reports on the individual components and their performance on CW-MFC efficiency. The performance and efficiency of this technology are significantly influenced by several factors such as the organic load and sewage composition, hydraulic retention time, cathode dissolved oxygen, electrode materials and wetland plants. This paper reviews the influence of the macrophyte (wetland plants) component, substrate material, microorganisms, electrode material and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on CW-MFC performance in wastewater treatment and electricity generation. The study assesses the relationship between these parameters and discusses progress in the development of this integrated system to date.

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