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Li C, Liang D, Tian Y, Liu S, He W, Li Z, Yadav RS, Ma Y, Ji C, Yi K, Yang W, Feng Y. Sorting Out the Latest Advances in Separators and Pilot-Scale Microbial Electrochemical Systems for Wastewater Treatment: Concomitant Development, Practical Application, and Future Perspective. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:9471-9486. [PMID: 38776077 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c03169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
To date, dozens of pilot-scale microbial fuel cell (MFC) devices have been successfully developed worldwide for treating various types of wastewater. The availability and configurations of separators are determining factors for the economic feasibility, efficiency, sustainability, and operability of these devices. Thus, the concomitant advances between the separators and pilot-scale MFC configurations deserve further clarification. The analysis of separator configurations has shown that their evolution proceeds as follows: from ion-selective to ion-non-selective, from nonpermeable to permeable, and from abiotic to biotic. Meanwhile, their cost is decreasing and their availability is increasing. Notably, the novel MFCs configured with biotic separators are superior to those configured with abiotic separators in terms of wastewater treatment efficiency and capital cost. Herein, a highly comprehensive review of pilot-scale MFCs (>100 L) has been conducted, and we conclude that the intensive stack of the liquid cathode configuration is more advantageous when wastewater treatment is the highest priority. The use of permeable biotic separators ensures hydrodynamic continuity within the MFCs and simplifies reactor configuration and operation. In addition, a systemic comparison is conducted between pilot-scale MFC devices and conventional decentralized wastewater treatment processes. MFCs showed comparable cost, higher efficiency, long-term stability, and significant superiority in carbon emission reduction. The development of separators has greatly contributed to the availability and usability of MFCs, which will play an important role in various wastewater treatment scenarios in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Li
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Dandan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Yan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Shujuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Weihua He
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Zeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Ravi Shankar Yadav
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Yamei Ma
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Chengcheng Ji
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Kexin Yi
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Wulin Yang
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Yujie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
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Li C, Yi K, Hu S, Yang W. Cathodic biofouling control by microbial separators in air-breathing microbial fuel cells. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 15:100251. [PMID: 36923605 PMCID: PMC10009452 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2023.100251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) incorporating air-breathing cathodes have emerged as a promising eco-friendly wastewater treatment technology capable of operating on an energy-free basis. However, the inevitable biofouling of these devices rapidly decreases cathodic catalytic activity and also reduces the stability of MFCs during long-term operation. The present work developed a novel microbial separator for use in air-breathing MFCs that protects cathodic catalytic activity. In these modified devices, microbes preferentially grow on the microbial separator rather than the cathodic surface such that biofouling is prevented. Trials showed that this concept provided low charge transfer and mass diffusion resistance values during the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction of 4.6 ± 1.3 and 17.3 ± 6.8 Ω, respectively, after prolonged operation. The maximum power density was found to be stable at 1.06 ± 0.07 W m-2 throughout a long-term test and the chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency was increased to 92% compared with a value of 83% for MFCs exhibiting serious biofouling. In addition, a cathode combined with a microbial separator demonstrated less cross-cathode diffusion of oxygen to the anolyte. This effect indirectly induced the growth of electroactive bacteria and produced higher currents in air-breathing MFCs. Most importantly, the present microbial separator concept enhances both the lifespan and economics of air-breathing MFCs by removing the need to replace or regenerate the cathode during long-term operation. These results indicate that the installation of a microbial separator is an effective means of stabilizing power generation and ensuring the cost-effective performance of air-breathing MFCs intended for future industrial applications.
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Tian Y, Li C, Liang D, Xie T, He W, Li D, Feng Y. Fungus-sourced filament-array anode facilitates Geobacter enrichment and promotes anodic bio-capacitance improvement for efficient power generation in microbial fuel cells. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:155926. [PMID: 35588840 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are emerging as new generation eco-friendly technology for the superiorities of energy harvest and simultaneous wastewater treatment. However, the power generation performance was strongly restricted by the material/biofilm electron transfer rate. In this research, the fungus-sourced electrode with filament-array structure was firstly proposed and prepared by one-step carbonization method. After 2 h pyrolysis, the functional groups containing N and O elements highly remained in the as-prepared material, which was beneficial to the electron transfer for the current generation. The lowest electron transfer resistance was obtained at 2.2 Ω, which showed a great reduction that compared with graphite sheet anode. With filament-array structure, the lowest mass diffusion resistance was obtained at 26.9 Ω for anodic oxidation reaction, which also supported the highest current generation performance. In addition, the relative abundance of typical electrochemical bacterium Geobacter was highly improved to 45.5% with an extraordinary electroactive biofilm loading of about 1203 ± 256 μg cm-2. More importantly, the high biocatalytic activity biofilm supported a remarkably observed bio-capacitance of about 1.14 F in 3DFfv anode, which exhibited the highest power density in 3.5 ± 0.2 W m-2. In addition, the fungus-sourced material was one kind of economical and readily available material. Overall, this work provided one efficient strategy for electrode preparation and higher power generation in MFCs, which would reduce the capital cost and improve the efficiency in further applications of MFCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - DanDan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Ting Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Weihua He
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Da Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yujie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China.
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Li C, Feng Y, Liang D, Zhang L, Tian Y, Yadav RS, He W. Spatial-type skeleton induced Geobacter enrichment and tailored bio-capacitance of electroactive bioanode for efficient electron transfer in microbial fuel cells. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 821:153123. [PMID: 35051486 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising alternative to energy-intensive conventional wastewater technology. However, poor electron transfer efficiency, low coulombic recovery (CR), and high capital cost highly restricted its practical application. In this work, spatial electroactive biofilm is successfully developed on the carbonaceous skeleton derived from phenolic foam, which highly improved the bio-capacitance and Geobacter abundance of bioanode. Compared with carbon cloth (CC) anode, the optimal spatial electroactive biofilm (3DP_900) enriched the Geobacter abundance up to 56.8% from 17.2%, and obtained an extraordinary electroactive biomass loading of about 339 ± 63 μg cm-2 and a remarkable bio-capacitance of about 3.4 F. In general, spatial biofilm highly reduces the barriers to electron transfer (Rct) and mass transfer (Rd) in anodic substrate oxidation reaction and obtains the lowest Rct of 2.0 ± 0.2 Ω and Rd of 35 ± 3.3 Ω in 3DP_900, which also supports the highest power density at 0.347 ± 0.027 W m-2 and the highest CR at 69.2%. More importantly, due to its mature preparation technology, carbonized phenolic foam (2 cm thick pieces) reduces the capital cost of electrode preparation by three orders of magnitude from 1157.3 USD m-2 of CC to 5.2 USD m-2. Overall, this work offers an effective and scalable electrode to achieve high substrate utilization rate and energy recovery efficiency, and considers the economic cost of electrode fabrication for the further construction of pilot-scale MFCs equipment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yujie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Dandan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Lijuan Zhang
- School of Environmental and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Yan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Ravi Shankar Yadav
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Weihua He
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China.
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Zhu Y, Feng Y, Zhang L, Wang N, Yang P, Liu J, He W. Economic affordable carbonized phenolic foam anode with controlled structure for microbial fuel cells. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 810:151314. [PMID: 34756897 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In microbial fuel cells (MFCs), the anode electrode is a core structure as the catalytic area of exoelectrogens. The anode material for large-scale MFCs needs excellent bioelectrochemical performance and low fabrication costs. Herein, carbonized phenolic foam with controllable porous structures was developed as the bio-capacitor of MFCs. The proportion of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), which improved mixing and dissolution between the resin liquid and the foaming agent, was adjusted to form open pores on the foam film and skeletons, which promoted both the capacitance and biocompatibility of the anode. Within SDBS proportion from 0 to 1.2 wt%, the anode SPF-9 (0.9 wt%) obtained the best capacitance (37 ± 0.13 F g-1), electrochemical active surface area (87 ± 0.38 cm2) and hydrophilia (contact angle 79 ± 0.2°). The MFCs with SPF-9 obtained the highest power density of 3980 ± 178 mW m-2, while those of carbon-cloth anodes were 1600 ± 28 mW m-2. The biofilm of SPF-9 also demonstrated higher activity and obtained larger abundance of exoelectrogens (68 ± 0.38%). The increased capacitance and biocompatibility mainly resulted in the good performance of SPF-9. The carbonized phenolic foam anode material was worth considering for the future application of MFCs due to its superior electrochemical performance and large-quantity fabrication capability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Zhu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Yujie Feng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Lijuan Zhang
- School of Environmental and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, P.R. China
| | - Naiyu Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Pinpin Yang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Jia Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Weihua He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
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Li C, He W, Liang D, Tian Y, Li J, Li Z, Feng Y. Microbial separator allied biocathode supports simultaneous nitrification and denitrification for nitrogen removal in microbial electrochemical system. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 345:126537. [PMID: 34896532 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbial separator (MS) allied biocathode was considered as one promising construction mode for pilot-scale microbial electrochemical system (MES). Instead of traditional ion exchange membrane, the microbial separator provided more potential for nitrogen metabolism due to its hydraulic permeable performance. In microbial separator installed biocathode MES, nitrogen removal efficiency, functional bacteria composition, and nitrogen metabolism routes were systemically investigated. Nitrogen removal tests suggested that the nitrogen removal was restricted by the ammonia oxidation reaction in cathode chamber. The PICRUSt2 functional genes prediction proved that simultaneous nitrification and denitrification reaction (SNDR) was dominant pathway for the nitrogen metabolism. The microbial composition analysis provided direct evidences that microbial separator compensated the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Weihua He
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Dandan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Jiannan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Zeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yujie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China.
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Ratheesh A, Elias L, Aboobakar Shibli SM. Tuning of Electrode Surface for Enhanced Bacterial Adhesion and Reactions: A Review on Recent Approaches. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:5809-5838. [PMID: 35006924 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c00362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The study of bacterial adhesion and its consequences has great significance in different fields such as marine science, renewable energy sectors, soil and plant ecology, food industry, and the biomedical field. Generally, the adverse effects of microbial surface interactions have attained wide visibility. However, herein, we present distinct approaches to highlight the beneficial aspects of microbial surface interactions for various applications rather than deal with the conventional negative aspects or prevention strategies. The surface microbial reactions can be tuned for useful biochemical or bio-electrochemical applications, which are otherwise unattainable through conventional routes. In this context, the present review is a comprehensive approach to highlight the basic principles and signature parameters that are responsible for the useful microbial-electrode interactions. It also proposes various surface tuning strategies, which are useful for tuning the electrode characteristics particularly suitable for the enhanced bacterial adhesion and reactions. The tuning of surface characteristics of electrodes is discussed with a special reference to the Microbial Fuel Cell as an example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjana Ratheesh
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 581, India
| | - Liju Elias
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 581, India
| | - Sheik Muhammadhu Aboobakar Shibli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 581, India.,Centre for Renewable Energy and Materials, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 581, India
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8
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Li Z, Zhang P, Qiu Y, Zhang Z, Wang X, Yu Y, Feng Y. Biosynthetic FeS/BC hybrid particles enhanced the electroactive bacteria enrichment in microbial electrochemical systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 762:143142. [PMID: 33168253 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Modifying the surface of an anode can improve electroactive bacteria (EAB) enrichment, thereby enhancing the performance of the associated microbial electrochemical systems (MESs). In this study, biosynthetic FeS nanoparticles were used to modify the anode in MESs. The experimental results demonstrated that the stable maximum voltage of the FeS composited biochar (FeS/BC)-modified anode reached 0.72 V, which is 20% higher than that of the control. The maximum power density with the FeS/BC anode was 793 mW/m2, which is 46.31% higher than that obtained with the control (542 mW/m2). According to cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis, FeS/BC facilitates the direct electron transfer between bacteria and the electrode. The biomass protein concentration of the FeS/BC anode was 841.75 μg/cm2, which is almost 1.5 times higher than that of the carbon cloth anode (344.25 μg/cm2); hence, FeS/BC modification can promote biofilm formation. The composition of Geobacter species on the FeS/BC anode (75.16%) was much higher than that on the carbon cloth anode (4.81%). All the results demonstrated that the use of the biosynthetic FeS/BC anode is an environmentally friendly and efficient strategy for enhancing the electroactive biofilm formation and EAB enrichment in MESs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No.73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, Yunnan, PR China
| | - Ye Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No.73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Zhaohan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No.73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Xin Wang
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China
| | - Yanling Yu
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, PR China
| | - Yujie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No.73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, PR China.
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Sun M, Zhang Z, Liu G, Lv M, Feng Y. Enhancing methane production of synthetic brewery water with granular activated carbon modified with nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) in anaerobic system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 760:143933. [PMID: 33341639 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion is an effective treatment technology for wastewater. However, long HRT and low CH4 production limit the application of anaerobic treatment. Iron-based materials, carbon-based materials and Fe-C composite particles have been used in anaerobic processes. However, the strengthening effect of Fe-C composite particles on anaerobic systems requires further research. In this study, granular activated carbon (GAC) loaded with nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) was prepared by a co-precipitation method and its morphology was characterized. Different concentrations of GAC-NZVI particles were used in the batch experiment to study the enhancing effect of the anaerobic biological treatment process. The water quality, sludge properties and microbial community were analyzed. The degradation rate of COD and total CH4 production increased by 9.38% and 14.29% with particles at a concentration of 1000 mg/L, respectively. The average methane yield was 169.86 mL CH4/g-COD removed, which was 9.39% higher than that of the control. The measurement results of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), conductivity, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Fe concentration indicated that the composite particles showed excellent electrical conductivity and promoted microorganism metabolism, which accelerated the use of substrates and methane generation. The 3-dimensional excitation (Ex) - emission (Em) matrix (3D-EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy of soluble microbial product (SMP) and EPS indicated that the particles could affect the endogenous respiration of microorganisms. Microbial community analysis revealed that the dominant genus Methanothrix (acetoclastic methanogens) increased by 13.32%, which could strengthen acetoclastic methanogenesis and lead to higher CH4 production. The abundance of hydrogenotrophic archaea decreased after the addition of GAC-NZVI. These results provide an alternate method for enhancing anaerobic wastewater treatment using conductive particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muchen Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No73, Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Zhaohan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No73, Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Guohong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No73, Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Miao Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No73, Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yujie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No73, Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China.
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10
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Niu J, Feng Y, Wang N, Liu S, Liang Y, Liu J, He W. Effects of high ammonia loading and in-situ short-cut nitrification in low carbon‑nitrogen ratio wastewater treatment by biocathode microbial electrochemical system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 755:142641. [PMID: 33049541 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The microbial electrochemical system (MES) has great advantages in wastewater treatment for rapid chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and low sludge yield rate. Herein, biocathode MES was proposed to remove COD from high-ammonia wastewater with low carbon‑nitrogen ratio and regulate the nitrogen forms in effluent for ANAMMOX process. The biocathode was more sensitive to ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) than anode and determined the power generation of MES. With COD of 500-550 mg L-1 in influent, increasing NH4+-N from 50 to 150 mg L-1 improved maximum power output (Pmax) from 3.0 ± 0.2 to 3.4 ± 0.1 W m-3, which was then reduced with further increase of NH4+-N from 300 to 600 mg L-1. However, for the cathodic reductive current, the negative effects of ammonia only revealed with NH4+-N ≥ 450 mg L-1. The cathodic equilibrium potential drop determined the power degradation, because the increased reductive compounds (NH4+ and COD) in catholyte. The high NH4+-N reduced the abundance of denitrifiers, exoelectrogens and organic-degrading bacteria on electrodes, while that of nitrogen-fixing bacteria increased. External alkalinity addition achieved in-situ short-cut nitrification and nitrite accumulation. With comparable NH4+ and NO2-, limited NO3- and low COD, the biocathode MES effluent was then suitable for subsequence ANAMMOX process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaojiao Niu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yujie Feng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Naiyu Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Shujuan Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yuhai Liang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Jia Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Weihua He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Ecology and Environment, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China.
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Tian Y, Li D, Liu G, Li C, Liu J, Wu J, Liu J, Feng Y. Formate production from CO 2 electroreduction in a salinity-gradient energy intensified microbial electrochemical system. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 320:124292. [PMID: 33161313 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The electricity production of microbial electrochemical system can be substantially strengthened by coupling with a reverse electrodialysis stack which extracts energy from salinity gradient, therefore provides a possible way for value-added products in cathode without external energy input. Here, a microbial reverse-electrodialysis CO2 reduction cell (MRECC) was developed and successfully utilized to drive CO2-to-formate conversion on a Bi/Cu cathode. Results confirmed the optimal anodic COD load and cathodic CO2 flow rate to be 1 g NaAc L-1 and 10 mL min-1. MRECC could yielded 143.5 ± 8.1 mg L-1 of formate with total energy efficiency of 4.6 ± 0.9% and coulombic efficiency of 46.4 ± 2.4%. Increasing or decreasing anode or cathode load impaired MRECC performance from economic and environmental viabilities. MRECC provided a promising platform for simultaneous CO2 reduction and value-added chemicals production by using sustainable energy from wastewaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Da Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Pingshan Road, Shen Zhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Guohong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Jia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Jing Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Junfeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yujie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China.
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