Assessment of recirculation batch mode of operation in bioelectrochemical system; a way forward for cleaner production of energy and waste treatment

Abstract Upscaling bioelectrochemical systems needs a proper operational mode to integrate them to the units operating in pilot and industrial scales. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation on combining the advantages of conventional batch and continuous operational modes in form of a simple and efficient looped configuration system, while reducing the drawbacks of each. In this regard, nine various recirculation batch (RB) systems with various recirculation to reactor volume ratios and with different recirculation flow rates were thoroughly evaluated and compared to the results of batch and continuous modes of operation. Recirculation rate and volume were both effective factors on system performance. The highest power density of 38 W/m3 was achieved amongst the various studied RB systems, which showed 40% and 32% of improvement compared to batch and continuous systems respectively. Cyclic voltammetry test approved 3.6 and 2.1 times increment of oxidation peak in the optimised RB system compared to the batch and continuous systems respectively. Moreover, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis showed the significant reduction of charge transfer resistance in RB system. Rather than high energy outputs, the proposed operational mode showed promising results on reducing the waste treatment duration by 12.5 and 3 times compared to the batch and continuous systems respectively while achieving the COD and pH close to the releasing requirements.

[1]  Wan Ramli Wan Daud,et al.  Assessment of bioelectricity production in microbial fuel cells through series and parallel connections , 2013 .

[2]  In S. Kim,et al.  Effect of different substrates on the performance, bacterial diversity, and bacterial viability in microbial fuel cells. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[3]  J. Alam,et al.  Treatment of two different water resources in desalination and microbial fuel cell processes by poly sulfone/Sulfonated poly ether ether ketone hybrid membrane , 2016 .

[4]  Zhen He,et al.  Effects of anolyte recirculation rates and catholytes on electricity generation in a litre-scale upflow microbial fuel cell , 2010 .

[5]  I. Chang,et al.  Mass Transport through a Proton Exchange Membrane (Nafion) in Microbial Fuel Cells , 2008 .

[6]  Vikash Kumar,et al.  Performance evaluation of microbial fuel cells: effect of varying electrode configuration and presence of a membrane electrode assembly. , 2015, New Biotechnology.

[7]  D. Leak,et al.  Improving Power Production in Acetate-Fed Microbial Fuel Cells via Enrichment of Exoelectrogenic Organisms in Flow-Through Systems , 2009 .

[8]  Wan Ramli Wan Daud,et al.  Biocathode in microbial electrolysis cell; Present status and future prospects , 2015 .

[9]  Falk Harnisch,et al.  A basic tutorial on cyclic voltammetry for the investigation of electroactive microbial biofilms. , 2012, Chemistry, an Asian journal.

[10]  Bruce E. Logan,et al.  Microbial Fuel Cells , 2006 .

[11]  In S. Kim,et al.  Effects of biofouling on ion transport through cation exchange membranes and microbial fuel cell performance. , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[12]  W. Daud,et al.  Carbon nanotube/polypyrrole nanocomposite as a novel cathode catalyst and proper alternative for Pt in microbial fuel cell , 2016 .

[13]  S. Freguia,et al.  Spontaneous modification of carbon surface with neutral red from its diazonium salts for bioelectrochemical systems. , 2013, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[14]  Willy Verstraete,et al.  Litre-scale microbial fuel cells operated in a complete loop , 2009, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[15]  H. Hamelers,et al.  Effects of membrane cation transport on pH and microbial fuel cell performance. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[16]  T. R. Sreekrishnan,et al.  A comprehensive impedance journey to continuous microbial fuel cells. , 2015, Bioelectrochemistry.

[17]  Byung Hong Kim,et al.  Direct electrode reaction of Fe(III)-reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens , 1999 .

[18]  S. Olsen,et al.  Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) for sustainable energy production and product recovery from organic wastes and industrial wastewaters , 2012 .

[19]  Hang-sik Shin,et al.  Effects of organic loading rates on the continuous electricity generation from fermented wastewater using a single-chamber microbial fuel cell. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[20]  Guohua Chen,et al.  A new clean approach for production of cobalt dihydroxide from aqueous Co(II) using oxygen-reducing biocathode microbial fuel cells , 2015 .

[21]  Jaakko A. Puhakka,et al.  Power generation in fed-batch and continuous up-flow microbial fuel cell from synthetic wastewater , 2015 .

[22]  Suresh Babu Pasupuleti,et al.  Dual gas diffusion cathode design for microbial fuel cell (MFC): optimizing the suitable mode of operation in terms of bioelectrochemical and bioelectro‐kinetic evaluation , 2016 .

[23]  Hubertus V. M. Hamelers,et al.  New applications and performance of bioelectrochemical systems , 2010, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[24]  G. Gil,et al.  Operational parameters affecting the performannce of a mediator-less microbial fuel cell. , 2003, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[25]  Bruce E Logan,et al.  Cathode performance as a factor in electricity generation in microbial fuel cells. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[26]  Jun Yu Li,et al.  Anolyte recirculation effects in buffered and unbuffered single-chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cells. , 2015, Bioresource technology.

[27]  Zhen He,et al.  Energy Balance Affected by Electrolyte Recirculation and Operating Modes in Microbial Fuel Cells , 2015, Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation.

[28]  J. Pyle,et al.  Role of Chemistry in Earth's Climate. , 2015, Chemical reviews.

[29]  Han-Qing Yu,et al.  Fouling of proton exchange membrane (PEM) deteriorates the performance of microbial fuel cell. , 2012, Water research.

[30]  W. Verstraete,et al.  High shear enrichment improves the performance of the anodophilic microbial consortium in a microbial fuel cell , 2008, Microbial biotechnology.

[31]  Stefano Freguia,et al.  Microbial fuel cells: methodology and technology. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[32]  Zhen He,et al.  Effect of electrolyte pH on the rate of the anodic and cathodic reactions in an air-cathode microbial fuel cell. , 2008, Bioelectrochemistry.

[33]  S. Puig,et al.  Modified Carbon Electrodes: A New Approach for Bioelectrochemical Systems , 2015 .

[34]  I. Ieropoulos,et al.  Regeneration of the power performance of cathodes affected by biofouling , 2016, Applied energy.

[35]  Hong Liu,et al.  Electricity generation using an air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell in the presence and absence of a proton exchange membrane. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[36]  K. Rabaey,et al.  Microbial electrosynthesis — revisiting the electrical route for microbial production , 2010, Nature Reviews Microbiology.

[37]  Lehua Zhang,et al.  Electricity production and electrochemical impedance modeling of microbial fuel cells under static magnetic field , 2013 .

[38]  Byung Hong Kim,et al.  Activated carbon nanofibers as an alternative cathode catalyst to platinum in a two-chamber microbia , 2011 .

[39]  Ghasem D. Najafpour,et al.  Power generation from organic substrate in batch and continuous flow microbial fuel cell operations , 2011 .

[40]  How Yong Ng,et al.  Full-loop operation and cathodic acidification of a microbial fuel cell operated on domestic wastewater. , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[41]  Yuxuan Zeng,et al.  Electricity production by an overflow-type wetted-wall microbial fuel cell. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[42]  I. B. Fridleifsson,et al.  Status of geothermal energy amongst the world's energy sources , 2003 .

[43]  S. Kondaveeti,et al.  Minimum interspatial electrode spacing to optimize air-cathode microbial fuel cell operation with a membrane electrode assembly. , 2015, Bioelectrochemistry.

[44]  K. Hirooka,et al.  Deterioration in the cathode performance during operation of the microbial fuel cells and the restoration of the performance by the immersion treatment. , 2013 .

[45]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Bioanode performance in bioelectrochemical systems: recent improvements and prospects. , 2009, Trends in biotechnology.

[46]  C. Woese,et al.  Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group , 1979, Microbiological reviews.

[47]  Byung Hong Kim,et al.  Enrichment of microbial community generating electricity using a fuel-cell-type electrochemical cell , 2004, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[48]  B. Suwannasilp,et al.  A microbial fuel cell treating organic wastewater containing high sulfate under continuous operation: Performance and microbial community , 2015 .

[49]  T. Gu,et al.  Microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells for the production of bioelectricity and biomaterials , 2013, Environmental technology.