Microbial Fuel Cells for Direct Electrical Energy Recovery from Urban Wastewaters

Application of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to wastewater treatment for direct recovery of electric energy appears to provide a potentially attractive alternative to traditional treatment processes, in an optic of costs reduction, and tapping of sustainable energy sources that characterizes current trends in technology. This work focuses on a laboratory-scale, air-cathode, and single-chamber MFC, with internal volume of 6.9 L, operating in batch mode. The MFC was fed with different types of substrates. This study evaluates the MFC behaviour, in terms of organic matter removal efficiency, which reached 86% (on average) with a hydraulic retention time of 150 hours. The MFC produced an average power density of 13.2 mW/m3, with a Coulombic efficiency ranging from 0.8 to 1.9%. The amount of data collected allowed an accurate analysis of the repeatability of MFC electrochemical behaviour, with regards to both COD removal kinetics and electric energy production.

[1]  E. E. L O G A N.  Microbial Fuel Cells : Methodology and Technology † , 2022 .

[2]  D. Lovley,et al.  Electricity generation by direct oxidation of glucose in mediatorless microbial fuel cells , 2003, Nature Biotechnology.

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

[4]  S. Puig,et al.  Biocatalysed sulphate removal in a BES cathode. , 2013, Bioresource technology.

[5]  E. E. L O G A N,et al.  Production of Electricity during Wastewater Treatment Using a Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell , 2022 .

[6]  D. R. Bond,et al.  Growth of Electrode-Reducing Bacteria , 2007 .

[7]  Bruce E. Logan,et al.  Increased performance of single-chamber microbial fuel cells using an improved cathode structure , 2006 .

[8]  Deukhyoun Heo,et al.  Batteryless, wireless sensor powered by a sediment microbial fuel cell. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[9]  Narcís Pous I Rodríguez,et al.  Bioremediation of nitrate-polluted groundwater in a microbial fuel cell , 2013 .

[10]  M. C. Potter.  Electrical Effects Accompanying the Decomposition of Organic Compounds. II. Ionisation of the Gases Produced during Fermentation , 1911 .

[11]  Zhiguo Yuan,et al.  Syntrophic processes drive the conversion of glucose in microbial fuel cell anodes. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[12]  J. Heijnen,et al.  Bioenergetics of Microbial Growth , 2010 .

[13]  Bruce E. Logan,et al.  Scaling up microbial fuel cells and other bioelectrochemical systems , 2010, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[14]  S Venkata Mohan,et al.  Biochemical evaluation of bioelectricity production process from anaerobic wastewater treatment in a single chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) employing glass wool membrane. , 2008, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[15]  X Wang,et al.  Electricity production from beer brewery wastewater using single chamber microbial fuel cell. , 2008, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[16]  C. Santoro,et al.  Power generation from wastewater using single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with platinum-free cathodes and pre-colonized anodes , 2012 .

[17]  C. Buisman,et al.  Towards practical implementation of bioelectrochemical wastewater treatment. , 2008, Trends in biotechnology.

[18]  Zhiguo Yuan,et al.  Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and carbon removal in microbial fuel cells. , 2010, Water research.

[19]  Haluk Beyenal,et al.  Wireless sensors powered by microbial fuel cells. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[20]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Microbial fuel cells: novel biotechnology for energy generation. , 2005, Trends in biotechnology.

[21]  Hong Liu,et al.  Production of electricity during wastewater treatment using a single chamber microbial fuel cell. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[22]  Jesús Colprim,et al.  Bioremediation of nitrate‐polluted groundwater in a microbial fuel cell , 2013 .

[23]  Willy Verstraete,et al.  Microbial Fuel Cells in Relation to Conventional Anaerobic Digestion Technology , 2006 .

[24]  Baikun Li,et al.  Effects of gas diffusion layer (GDL) and micro porous layer (MPL) on cathode performance in microbia , 2011 .

[25]  Enrico Dallago,et al.  Microbial fuel cell electric behaviour , 2012 .

[26]  E. E. L O G A N,et al.  Electricity Generation Using an Air-Cathode Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell in the Presence and Absence of a Proton Exchange Membrane , 2022 .

[27]  Tingyue Gu,et al.  A state of the art review on microbial fuel cells: A promising technology for wastewater treatment and bioenergy. , 2007, Biotechnology advances.

[28]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Open air biocathode enables effective electricity generation with microbial fuel cells. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.

[29]  B. Logan,et al.  Brewery wastewater treatment using air-cathode microbial fuel cells , 2008, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[30]  Bruce E Logan,et al.  Microbial fuel cells--challenges and applications. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[31]  Peter Kauffman,et al.  The first demonstration of a microbial fuel cell as a viable power supply: Powering a meteorological buoy , 2008 .

[32]  D. Pant,et al.  A review of the substrates used in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for sustainable energy production. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[33]  Jae Kyung Jang,et al.  Continuous determination of biochemical oxygen demand using microbial fuel cell type biosensor. , 2004, Biosensors & bioelectronics.