Enhanced bioelectroremediation of heavy metal contaminated groundwater through advancing a self-standing cathode

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) contamination in groundwater poses a substantial global challenge due to its high toxicity and extensive industrial applications. While the bioelectroremediation of Cr(VI) has attracted huge attention for its eco-friendly attributes, its practical application remains constrained by the hydrogeochemical conditions of groundwater (mainly pH), low electron transfer efficiency, limitations in electrocatalyst synthesis and electrode fabrication. In this study, we developed and investigated the use of N, S co-doped carbon nanofibers (CNFs) integrated on a graphite felt (GF) as a self-standing cathode (NS/CNF-GF) for the comprehensive reduction of Cr(VI) from real contaminated groundwater. The binder free cathode, prepared through electro-polymerization, was employed in a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) for the treatment of Cr (VI)-laden real groundwater (40 mg/L) with a pH of 7.4. The electrochemical characterization of the prepared cathode revealed a distinct electroactive surface area, more wettability, facilitating enhanced adsorption and rapid electron transfer, resulting in a commendable Cr(VI) reduction rate of 0.83 mg/L/h. The MFC equipped with NS/CNF-GF demonstrated the lowest charge transfer resistance (Rct) and generated the highest power density (155 ± 0.3 mW/m2) compared to control systems. The favorable electrokinetics for modified cathode led to swift substrate consumption in the anode, releasing more electrons and protons, thereby accelerating Cr(VI) reduction to achieve the highest cathodic coulombic efficiency (C.Eca)of80 ± 1.3 %. A similar temporal trend observed between Cr(VI) removal efficiency, COD removal efficiency, and C.Eca, underscores the effective performance of the modified electrode. The reusability of the binder free cathode, exemption from catholyte preparation and the absence of pH regulation requirements highlighted the potential scalability and applicability of our findings on a larger scale.

An Approach to Electrokinetic Removal of Cr(VI) from Soil and Kaolin Samples

The present study examines electroremediation's efficiency on Cr(VI) contaminated samples. Electrokinetic experiments were performed applying a DC voltage of 30 V to a cylindrical sample of 30 cm length and 4 cm diameter, using Na₂SO₄ as background electrolyte solution. The first two experiments, one with kaolin and one with soil, were carried out without applying any pH adjustment in the anode or the cathode compartment, using 0.01 M Na₂SO₄. Further experiments were carried out increasing the electrolyte's concentration and using Mg(OH)₂ to neutralize the generated acidity in the anode. The decrease in Cr(VI) concentration in the soil samples is partly taking place because of its reduction, most likely due to the presence of organic matter. This is indicated by the mass balance calculations which were based on the analyses of treated solid samples and electrolyte solutions. İn the kaolin samples electromigration is the main factor resulting in the accumulation of Cr(VI) in the anodic solution.

Reversible electrokinetic adsorption barriers for the removal of organochlorine herbicide from spiked soils

This work aims to describe the removal of clopyralid from clay soils using electrokinetically assisted soil flushing (EKSF) coupled with a permeable reactive barrier (PRB), consisting of beds of Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC). To do this, two strategies have been evaluated on bench-scale electroremediation facilities (175 dm³): electrokinetic adsorption barrier (EKAB) and reversible electrokinetic adsorption barrier (REKAB). Likewise, to clarify the contribution of the different mechanisms to remediation process results are compared to those obtained in a reference test (without applying an electric field) and to results obtained in the EKSF of soils polluted with compounds with different polarity and vapour pressure. Results show that during EKAB and REKAB tests, clopyralid is removed from the soil by adsorption in PRB, electrokinetic transport and, very less decisively, by evaporation. The application of polarity reversion attains a higher retention of clopyralid in the activated carbon-PRB and a better regulation of pH because of the neutralization of H⁺ and OH^- generated in the electrolyte wells. After 30 days of operation, the removal of clopyralid by EKAB is 45% while it reaches 57% in the case of REKAB.

Simultaneous removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and heavy metals from an artificial clayey soil by enhanced electrokinetic method

Contamination of soil by a mixture of organic and non-organic pollutants due to various anthropogenic and natural causes is one of the most important issues in soil pollution. Generating a single layer of soil is a time-consuming process, and soil is a significant part of the environmental cycle; thus, protection and remediation of soil are of paramount importance. In this study, phenanthrene (PHE) as a representative for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) as heavy metal pollutants were used because of their synergistic effects and abundant presence in soil. Soils with three different organic matter levels (OM0, OM1, and OM2) were prepared, spiked with pollutants, placed in electrokinetic cells, and remediated for 15 days. To improve the remediation process and increase the efficacy of pollutant removal, pH control methods and extracting agents were used. Two non-ionic surfactants, Tween 80 and Brij 35, and one chelating agent, EDTA, were utilized for this purpose. A total of nine tests were performed. The soil was divided into five equal sections at the end of each test, and the pH and concentration of pollutants were analyzed. Results indicated that the highest removal percentage of PHE was accomplished by Brij 35 (61%) in OM0. Increasing organic matter resulted in decreasing PHE removal. In this regard, Tween 80 showed enhanced performance. The order of removal of heavy metals was zinc > nickel > lead, and zinc had the highest removal rate of 61%.

Cathodic microbial community adaptation to the removal of chlorinated herbicide in soil microbial fuel cells

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) that uses a solid electrode as the inexhaustible electron acceptor is an innovative remediation technology that simultaneously generates bioelectricity. Chlorinated pollutants are better metabolized by reductive dechlorination in proximity to the cathode. Here, the removal efficiency of the herbicide metolachlor (ML) increased by 262 and 176% in soil MFCs that were spiked with 10 (C10) and 20 mg/kg (C20) of ML, respectively, relative to the non-electrode controls. The bioelectricity output of the C10 and C20 increased by over two- and eightfold, respectively, compared to that of the non-ML control, with maximum current densities of 49.6 ± 2.5 (C10) and 78.9 ± 0.6 mA/m² (C20). Based on correlations between ML concentrations and species abundances in the MFCs, it was inferred that Azohydromonas sp., Sphingomonas sp., and Pontibacter sp. play a major role in ML removal around the cathode, with peak removal efficiencies of 56 ± 1% (C10) and 58 ± 1% (C20). Moreover, Clostridium sp., Geobacter sp., Bacillus sp., Romboutsia sp., and Terrisporobacter sp. may be electricigens or closely related microbes due to the significant positive correlation between the bioelectricity generation levels and their abundances around the anode. This study suggests that a directional adaptation of the microbial community has taken place to increase both the removal of chlorinated herbicides around the cathode and the generation of bioelectricity around the anode in bioelectrochemical remediation systems.

Multispecies reactive transport modelling of electrokinetic remediation of harbour sediments

We implemented a numerical model to simulate transport of multiple species and geochemical reactions occurring during electrokinetic remediation of metal-contaminated porous media. The main phenomena described by the model were: (1) species transport by diffusion, electromigration and electroosmosis, (2) pH-dependent buffering of H⁺, (3) adsorption of metals onto particle surfaces, (4) aqueous speciation, (5) formation and dissolution of solid precipitates. The model was applied to simulate the electrokinetic extraction of heavy metals (Pb, Zn and Ni) from marine harbour sediments, characterized by a heterogeneous solid matrix, high buffering capacity and aged pollution. A good agreement was found between simulations of pH, electroosmotic flow and experimental results. The predicted residual metal concentrations in the sediment were also close to experimental profiles for all of the investigated metals. Some removal overestimation was observed in the regions close to the anode, possibly due to the significant metal content bound to residual fraction.

Removal of oxyfluorfen from spiked soils using electrokinetic soil flushing with the surrounding arrangements of electrodes

This work reports the results of a study in which the remediation of soil that undergoes an accidental discharge of oxyfluorfen is carried out by using electrokinetic soil flushing (EKSF). Two different electrode configurations were tested, consisting of several electrodes surrounding an electrode of different polarity (so-called 1A6C, one anode surrounded by six cathodes, and 1C6A, one cathode surrounded by six cathodes). A pilot plant scale was used (with a soil volume of 175dm(3)) to perform the studies. During the tests, different parameters were measured daily (flowrates, pH, electrical conductivity and herbicide concentration in different sampling positions). Furthermore, at the end of the test, a complete post-mortem analysis was carried out to obtain a 3-D map of the pollution, pH and electrical conductivity in the soil. The results demonstrate that electrode arrangement is a key factor for effective pollutant removal. In fact, the 1A6C configuration improves the removal rate by 41.3% versus the 27.0% obtained by the 1C6A configuration after a period of 35days. Finally, a bench mark comparison of this study of soil remediation polluted with 2,4-D allows for significant conclusions about the scale-up and full-scale application of this technology.

Ligand-enhanced electrokinetic remediation of metal-contaminated marine sediments with high acid buffering capacity

The suitability of electrokinetic remediation for removing heavy metals from dredged marine sediments with high acid buffering capacity was investigated. Laboratory-scale electrokinetic remediation experiments were carried out by applying two different voltage gradients to the sediment (0.5 and 0.8 V/cm) while circulating water or two different chelating agents at the electrode compartments. Tap water, 0.1 M citric acid and 0.1 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solutions were used respectively. The investigated metals were Zn, Pb, V, Ni and Cu. In the unenhanced experiment, the acid front could not propagate due to the high acid buffering capacity of the sediments; the production of OH(-) ions at the cathode resulted in a high-pH environment causing the precipitation of CaCO3 and metal hydroxides. The use of citric acid prevented the formation of precipitates, but solubilisation and mobilisation of metal species were not sufficiently achieved. Metal removal was relevant when EDTA was used as the conditioning agent, and the electric potential was raised up to 0.8 V/cm. EDTA led to the formation of negatively charged complexes with metals which migrated towards the anode compartment by electromigration. This result shows that metal removal from sediments with high acid buffering capacity may be achieved by enhancing the electrokinetic process by EDTA addition when the acidification of the medium is not economically and/or environmentally sustainable.

Electrokinetic flushing with surrounding electrode arrangements for the remediation of soils that are polluted with 2,4-D: A case study in a pilot plant

This work aimed to evaluate electrokinetic soil flushing (EKSF) technologies for the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) from spiked soils using an electrode configuration consisting of one cathode surrounded by six anodes (1c6a) and one anode surrounded by 6 cathodes (1a6c). Experiments were conducted for over one month in a bench-scale set-up (175 dm(3) of capacity) that was completely automated and operated at a constant electric field (1.0V cm(-1)). The electrical current, temperature, pH, moisture and pollutant concentration in electrolyte wells were monitored daily, and at the end of the experiments, an in-depth sectioned analysis of the complete soil section (post-mortem analysis) was conducted. Despite the geometric similarity, the two strategies led to very different results mainly in terms of water and herbicide mobilization, whereas pH and conductivity do not depend strongly on the electrode configuration. The volume of water extracted from cathodes with 1a6c is seven times higher than that of the 1c6a strategy. Herbicide was transported to the anode wells by electromigration and then dragged toward the cathode wells by electro-osmotic fluxes, with the first process being much more important. The configuration 1c6a was the most efficient and attained a transfer of 70% of the herbicide contained in the soil to flushing water in 35 days. These results outperform those obtained by the configuration 1a6c, for which less than 8% of the herbicide was transferred to flushing fluids in a much longer time (58 days).

Electroremediation of PCB contaminated soil combined with iron nanoparticles: Effect of the soil type

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are carcinogenic and persistent organic pollutants that accumulate in soils and sediments. Currently, there is no cost-effective and sustainable remediation technology for these contaminants. In this work, a new combination of electrodialytic remediation and zero valent iron particles in a two-compartment cell is tested and compared to a more conventional combination of electrokinetic remediation and nZVI in a three-compartment cell. In the new two-compartment cell, the soil is suspended and stirred simultaneously with the addition of zero valent iron nanoparticles. Remediation experiments are made with two different historically PCB contaminated soils, which differ in both soil composition and contamination source. Soil 1 is a mix of soils with spills of transformer oils, while Soil 2 is a superficial soil from a decommissioned school where PCB were used as windows sealants. Saponin, a natural surfactant, was also tested to increase the PCB desorption from soils and enhance dechlorination. Remediation of Soil 1 (with highest pH, carbonate content, organic matter and PCB concentrations) obtained the maximum 83% and 60% PCB removal with the two-compartment and the three-compartment cell, respectively. The highest removal with Soil 2 were 58% and 45%, in the two-compartment and the three-compartment cell, respectively, in the experiments without direct current. The pH of the soil suspension in the two-compartment treatment appears to be a determining factor for the PCB dechlorination, and this cell allowed a uniform distribution of the nanoparticles in the soil, while there was iron accumulation in the injection reservoir in the three-compartment cell.

Electroremediation of a natural soil polluted with phenanthrene in a pilot plant

In this work, a pilot plant with two rows of three electrodes in semipermeable electrolyte wells was used to study the electrokinetic treatment of a natural soil polluted with phenanthrene (PHE). The electrokinetic pilot plant was an open system, i.e., there was direct contact between the soil and air. To increase the solubility of phenanthrene, thereby enhancing its transport through the soil, an aqueous solution of the anionic surfactant dodecyl sulfate was used as a flushing fluid. The results show that at the pilot scale considered, gravity and evaporation fluxes are more relevant than electrokinetic fluxes. Contrary to observations at the laboratory scale, desorption of PHE promoted by electric heating appears to be a significant removal mechanism at the pilot scale. In addition, PHE is dragged by the electroosmotic flow in the cathodic wells and by electrophoresis after interaction of the surfactant with phenanthrene in the anodic wells. In spite of the long treatment time (corresponding to an energy consumption over 500kWhm(-3)), the average removal attained was only 25%.