Review of Microbial Fuel Cells for Wastewater Treatment: Large-Scale Applications, Future Needs and Current Research Gaps

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Waller ◽  
Thomas A. Trabold
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Organic Waste ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Waste Water Treatment ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Research Gaps

There is growing interest in innovative waste water treatment technologies that can utilize the inherent energy-producing potential of organic waste. A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a type of bioreactor that produces electricity by converting energy in the chemical bonds of organic material, through a catalytic reaction of microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. MFCs provide a promising low cost, highly efficient, and renewable energy-producing alternative to conventional wastewater treatments. MFC technology at the laboratory scale has advanced to the point where chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies (RE) over 90% are commonly achieved; however, low coulombic efficiencies (CE) and power densities often result when treating actual industrial and domestic wastewaters. In spite of their low energy recovery and power production, MFCs have been shown to be economically viable when factoring in costs savings from the sale of produced chemical byproducts and reduction of solid waste removal costs. However, further research of large-scale MFC wastewater treatment applications must be performed to determine the extent of their feasibility. This paper reviews several pilot-test MFC systems, addresses promising future industrial applications, and discusses current research gaps in MFC technology for wastewater treatment. Of particular interest in our research program is the use of MFCs to treat liquid-phase organic waste generated at food processing plants. Because of the general scalability of fuel cell systems, there is reason to believe that an MFC treatment system would be better suited to relatively small waste flow rates, unlike other treatment methods (e.g., anaerobic digestion) which typically require large volume to achieve economic viability.

scholarly journals Bioelectricity production from tofu wastewater using microbial fuel cells with microalgae Spirulina sp as catholyte

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 ◽  
pp. 08007
Author(s):  
Wahyu Zuli Pratiwi ◽  
Hadiyanto Hadiyanto ◽  
Purwanto Purwanto ◽  
Muthi’ah Nur Fadlilah
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Organic Waste ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Salt Bridge ◽  
Cod Removal ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Made In

Microalgae-Microbial Fuel Cells (MMFCs) are very popular to be used to treat organic waste. MMFCs can function as an energy-producing wastewater pre-treatment system. Wastewater can provide an adequate supply of nutrients, support the large capacity of biofuel production, and can be integrated with existing wastewater treatment infrastructure. The reduced content of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is one way to measure the efficiency of wastewater treatment. MMFCs reactors are made in the form of two chambers (anode and cathode) both of which are connected by a salt bridge. Tofu wastewater as an anode and Spirulina sp as a cathode. To improve MFCs performance which is to obtain maximum COD removal and electricity generation, nutrient NaHCO3 as the nutrient carbon source for Spirulina sp was varied. The system running phase on 12 days. The results were Spirulina sp treated with MFCs technology has better growth than non-MFCs. The MMFC generated a maximum power density of 21.728 mW/cm2 and achieved 57.37% COD removal. These results showed that the combined process was effective in treating tofu wastewater.

Factors affecting the performance of a single-chamber microbial fuel cell-type biological oxygen demand sensor

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 1914-1919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gai-Xiu Yang ◽  
Yong-Ming Sun ◽  
Xiao-Ying Kong ◽  
Feng Zhen ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Response Signal ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Single Chamber ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Stable Voltage

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that exploit microorganisms as biocatalysts to degrade organic matter or sludge present in wastewater (WW), and thereby generate electricity. We developed a simple, low-cost single-chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC)-type biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensor using carbon felt (anode) and activated sludge, and demonstrated its feasibility in the construction of a real-time BOD measurement system. Further, the effects of anodic pH and organic concentration on SCMFC performance were examined, and the correlation between BOD concentration and its response time was analyzed. Our results demonstrated that the SCMFC exhibited a stable voltage after 132 min following the addition of synthetic WW (BOD concentration: 200 mg/L). Notably, the response signal increased with an increase in BOD concentration (range: 5–200 mg/L) and was found to be directly proportional to the substrate concentration. However, at higher BOD concentrations (>120 mg/L) the response signal remained unaltered. Furthermore, we optimized the SCMFC using synthetic WW, and tested it with real WW. Upon feeding real WW, the BOD values exhibited a standard deviation from 2.08 to 8.3% when compared to the standard BOD5 method, thus demonstrating the practical applicability of the developed system to real treatment effluents.

scholarly journals Wastewater Treatment and Electricity Production in a Microbial Fuel Cell with Cu–B Alloy as the Cathode Catalyst

Catalysts ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł P. Włodarczyk ◽  
Barbara Włodarczyk
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Cathode Catalyst ◽  
Similar Reduction ◽  
Fuel Cell Operation

The possibility of wastewater treatment and electricity production using a microbial fuel cell with Cu–B alloy as the cathode catalyst is presented in this paper. Our research covered the catalyst preparation; measurements of the electroless potential of electrodes with the Cu–B catalyst, measurements of the influence of anodic charge on the catalytic activity of the Cu–B alloy, electricity production in a microbial fuel cell (with a Cu–B cathode), and a comparison of changes in the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4+, and NO3– in three reactors: one excluding aeration, one with aeration, and during microbial fuel cell operation (with a Cu–B cathode). During the experiments, electricity production equal to 0.21–0.35 mA·cm−2 was obtained. The use of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) with Cu–B offers a similar reduction time for COD to that resulting from the application of aeration. The measured reduction of NH4+ was unchanged when compared with cases employing MFCs, and it was found that effectiveness of about 90% can be achieved for NO3– reduction. From the results of this study, we conclude that Cu–B can be employed to play the role of a cathode catalyst in applications of microbial fuel cells employed for wastewater treatment and the production of electricity.

Development of Gold Electrodes for Microbial Fuel Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 037-042 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Verea ◽  
M. Jaramillo-Torres ◽  
M. P. Mejia-Lopez ◽  
J. Campos ◽  
P. J. Sebastian
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Simple Technique ◽  
Reduction Reaction ◽  
Thin Layers ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
Electrode Fabrication ◽  
Technological Significance

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been an important subject of study in the last decades because of its technological significance that one can produce hydrogen or electricity by wastewater treatment (bio-remediation). One of the main issues for the application of these devices on large scale is the processes and materials for the electrode fabrication. The cathode for MFC requires a catalyst to perform the reduction reaction and this work presents a simple technique to obtain thin layers of gold (TLG) supported on glass. This technique was employed to obtain TLG with different thicknesses from 848 nm to the thinnest of 137 nm. Since the gold of the TLGs presented adherence issues, a successful thermal treatment with different temperatures from 150-300 ºC was developed to avoid the gold detachment. The TLGs were tested as cathodes in a MFC and a maximum Voc of 431 mV and an Isc of 10 × 10−2 mA were obtained. The process to obtain TLGs presented here has probed to be a good option for this application since the thickness obtained and the accessible material (glass) employed as support offers a solution to the costs and the scaling issues.

scholarly journals Microbial Fuel Cell and its Efficiency in Treating Wastewater - a Novel Technique for Wastewater Treatment

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.12) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
B Antony Fantin ◽  
S Ramesh ◽  
J S.Sudarsan ◽  
P Vanamoorthy Kumaran
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Organic Content ◽  
Good Energy

Due to depletion of coal and other natural fuel there is an urgent need to find eco-friendly and workable technology for alternate energy. Microbial fuel cells is considered as assuringmethod to extract energy from various sources of wastewater and to generate electricity. But, due to practical limits, MFCs are still unsuitable to meet high power demands. Since wastewater contains several contaminants including organic substances, therefore, generation of electric energy from wastewater using MFC can offer an alternate solution for electricity issue as well as to reduce environmental pollution. Microbial fuel cells harvest electrical energy from wastewater with the help of microorganisms present within the wastewater. The energy confined in organic matter converted in to useful electric current. In Microbial Fuel Cell electrons from the microorganisms transfer from a reduced electron donor to an electron acceptor at a higher electrochemical potential. The study highlights that wastewater with high organic content found to be more effective and it also gives good energy production. If the same concept implemented in large scale it can help in achieving sustainable development and it helps in achieving 3R formula in the process of wastewater treatment. 

scholarly journals Treatment of Dairy Wastewaters: Evaluating Microbial Fuel Cell Tools and Mechanism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aman Dongre ◽  
Monika Sogani ◽  
Kumar Sonu ◽  
Zainab Syed ◽  
Gopesh Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Electrode Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Oil And Grease

Pollution caused by chemical and dairy effluent is a major concern worldwide. Dairy wastewaters are the most challenging to treat because of the presence of various pollutants in them. The characteristics of effluent like temperature, color, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), dissolved solids, suspended solids, chloride, sulfate, oil, and grease depend solely on the volume of milk processed and the form of finished produce. It is difficult to select an efficient wastewater treatment method for the dairy wastewaters because of their selective nature in terms of pH, flow rate, volume, and suspended solids. Thus there exists a clear need for a technology or a combination of technologies that would efficiently treat the dairy wastewaters. This chapter explains the energy-generating microbial fuel cell or MFC technologies for dairy wastewaters treatment having different designs of MFCs, mechanism of action, different electrode materials, their surface modification, operational parameters, applications and outcomes delivered through the technology in reducing the COD, BOD, suspended solids and other residues present in the wastewaters. The chapter also elaborates on the availability of various natural low-cost anode materials which can be derived from agricultural wastes. The current chapter elaborates on MFC technology and its tools used for dairy wastewater treatment, providing useful insight for integrating it with existing conventional wastewater treatment methods to achieve the degradation of various dairy pollutants including emerging micropollutants.

scholarly journals A Cyanobacteria-Based Biofilm System for Advanced Brewery Wastewater Treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
Konstantinos P. Papadopoulos ◽  
Christina N. Economou ◽  
Athanasia G. Tekerlekopoulou ◽  
Dimitris V. Vayenas
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Biomass Production ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Reactor Performance ◽  
Brewery Wastewater ◽  
Kjeldahl Nitrogen ◽  
Supporting Materials

Algal/cyanobacterial biofilm photobioreactors provide an alternative technology to conventional photosynthetic systems for wastewater treatment based on high biomass production and easy biomass harvesting at low cost. This study introduces a novel cyanobacteria-based biofilm photobioreactor and assesses its performance in post-treatment of brewery wastewater and biomass production. Two different supporting materials (glass/polyurethane) were tested to investigate the effect of surface hydrophobicity on biomass attachment and overall reactor performance. The reactor exhibited high removal efficiency (over 65%) of the wastewater’s pollutants (chemical oxygen demand, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, orthophosphate, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen), while biomass per reactor surface reached 13.1 and 12.8 g·m−2 corresponding to 406 and 392 mg·L−1 for glass and polyurethane, respectively, after 15 days of cultivation. The hydrophilic glass surface favored initial biomass adhesion, although eventually both materials yielded complete biomass attachment, highlighting that cell-to-cell interactions are the dominant adhesion mechanism in mature biofilms. It was also found that the biofilm accumulated up to 61% of its dry weight in carbohydrates at the end of cultivation, thus making the produced biomass a suitable feedstock for bioethanol production.

scholarly journals Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Preparation to Application

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5717
Author(s):  
Mian Muhammad-Ahson Aslam ◽  
Hsion-Wen Kuo ◽  
Walter Den ◽  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Muhammad Sultan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Biological Species ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Water And Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Adsorption Sites ◽  
Water And Wastewater

As the world human population and industrialization keep growing, the water availability issue has forced scientists, engineers, and legislators of water supply industries to better manage water resources. Pollutant removals from wastewaters are crucial to ensure qualities of available water resources (including natural water bodies or reclaimed waters). Diverse techniques have been developed to deal with water quality concerns. Carbon based nanomaterials, especially carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with their high specific surface area and associated adsorption sites, have drawn a special focus in environmental applications, especially water and wastewater treatment. This critical review summarizes recent developments and adsorption behaviors of CNTs used to remove organics or heavy metal ions from contaminated waters via adsorption and inactivation of biological species associated with CNTs. Foci include CNTs synthesis, purification, and surface modifications or functionalization, followed by their characterization methods and the effect of water chemistry on adsorption capacities and removal mechanisms. Functionalized CNTs have been proven to be promising nanomaterials for the decontamination of waters due to their high adsorption capacity. However, most of the functional CNT applications are limited to lab-scale experiments only. Feasibility of their large-scale/industrial applications with cost-effective ways of synthesis and assessments of their toxicity with better simulating adsorption mechanisms still need to be studied.

scholarly journals Red Mud-Based Polyaluminum Ferric Chloride Flocculant: Preparation, Characterization and Flocculation Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Cheng ◽  
Longjun Xu ◽  
Chenglun Liu ◽  
Zao Jiang ◽  
Qiyuan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Red Mud ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Iron Chloride ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Polymerization Temperature ◽  
Solution Ph

Abstract In this work, red mud was used as raw material to extract Al and Fe with hydrochloric acid. The high-efficiency polyaluminum iron chloride (PAFC) flocculant was prepared via adjusting the pH of the leaching solution, the molar ratio of aluminum and iron, and the polymerization temperature. The effect of synthesis and flocculation conditions on the flocculation performance of aged landfill leachate was investigated. The results confirmed that the PAFC prepared at the polymerization pH of 2.5, the Al/Fe molar ratio of 8, and the polymerization temperature of 70 °C had the optimum flocculation effect. The flocculation consequences of PAFC and commercial polyaluminum iron chloride flocculant (CPAFC) under different flocculation conditions were compared. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), UV254, chroma and settlement height of PAFC at flocculant concentration of 60 g/L and solution pH of 6 were 72.2%, 79.2%, 82.9% and 9.5 cm (within 90 min), respectively. PAFC has excellent flocculation performance and can be used as a simple, potentially low-cost wastewater treatment agent in industrial applications.

scholarly journals Effect of Anolyte pH on the Performance of a Dual-Chambered Microbial Fuel Cell Operated with Different Biomass Feed

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Md. Abdul Halim ◽  
Md. Owaleur Rahman ◽  
Mohammad Ibrahim ◽  
Rituparna Kundu ◽  
Biplob Kumar Biswas
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
River Water ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Coulombic Efficiency ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Cod Removal ◽  
Bioelectricity Generation ◽  
Alternative Energy Resources

Finding sustainable alternative energy resources and treating wastewater are the two most important issues that need to be solved. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has demonstrated a tremendous potential in bioelectricity generation with wastewater treatment. Since wastewater can be used as a source of electrolyte for the MFC, the salient point of this study was to investigate the effect of pH on bioelectricity production using various biomass feed (wastewater and river water) as the anolyte in a dual-chambered MFC. Maximum extents of power density (1459.02 mW·m−2), current density (1288.9 mA·m−2), and voltage (1132 mV) were obtained at pH 8 by using Bhairab river water as a feedstock in the MFC. A substantial extent of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (94%) as well as coulombic efficiency (41.7%) was also achieved in the same chamber at pH 8. The overall performance of the MFC, in terms of bioelectricity generation, COD removal, and coulombic efficiency, indicates a plausible utilization of the MFC for wastewater treatment as well as bioelectricity production.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document