Karin Fedje, Oskar Modin, Ann-Margret Strömvall

Metals • 2015

Excavation followed by landfilling is the most common method for treating soils contaminated by metals. However, as this solution is not sustainable, alternative techniques are required. Chemical soil washing is one such alternative. The aim of this experimental lab-scale study is to develop a remediation and metal recovery method for Cu contaminated sites. The method is based on the washing of soil or ash (combusted soil/bark) with acidic waste liquids followed by electrolytic Cu recovery by means of bioelectrochemical systems (BES). The results demonstrate that a one- or two-step acidic leaching process followed by water washing removes >80 wt. % of the Cu. Copper with 99.7–99.9 wt. % purity was recovered from the acidic leachates using BES. In all experiments, electrical power was generated during the reduction of Cu. This clearly indicates that Cu can also be recovered from dilute solutions. Additionally, the method has the potential to wash co-pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxy-PAHs.

Bahareh Kokabian, Veera Gnaneswar Gude

Membrane Water Treatment • 2015

Baoguo Wu, Chunhua Feng, Liqiao Huang et al.

Bioresource Technology • 2014

Marta Coma

Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation • 2012

Addressing the simultaneous removal of multiple coexisting groundwater contaminants poses a significant challenge, primarily because of their different physicochemical properties. Indeed, different chemical compounds may necessitate establishing distinct, and sometimes conflicting, (bio)degradation and/or removal pathways. In this work, we investigated the concomitant anaerobic treatment of toluene and copper in a single-chamber bioelectrochemical cell with a potential difference of 1 V applied between the anode and the cathode. As a result, the electric current generated by the bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of toluene at the anode caused the abiotic reduction and precipitation of copper at the cathode, until the complete removal of both contaminants was achieved. Open circuit potential (OCP) experiments confirmed that the removal of copper and toluene was primarily associated with polarization. Analogously, abiotic experiments, at an applied potential of 1 V, confirmed that neither toluene was oxidized nor copper was reduced in the absence of microbial activity. At the end of each experiment, both electrodes were characterized by means of a comprehensive suite of chemical and microbiological analyses, evidencing a highly selected microbial community competent in the biodegradation of toluene in the anodic biofilm, and a uniform electrodeposition of spherical Cu 2 O nanoparticles over the cathode surface.

Tokuji Ikeda

Electrochimica Acta • 2012

Yun-Kun Wang, Guo-Ping Sheng, Wen-Wei Li et al.

Environmental Science & Technology • 2011

Haiyan Wang, Qianyu Hang, John Crittenden et al.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research • 2015

A novel combined autotrophic nitritation and bioelectrochemical-sulfur denitrification (CANBSD) process was developed for treatment of synthetic ammonium-rich wastewater with low carbon/nitrogen ratio. Total nitrogen removal of the CANBSD was higher than 95 %, the effluent SO4 (2-) was lower than 1280 mg L(-1), and the maximum nitrogen volumetric loading rate was 1.2 kg m(-3) day(-1) when (1) the influent NH4 (+)-N was lower than 1008 mg L(-1), (2) hydraulic retention time was between 3.7 and 32 h, (3) the DO was between 0.5 and 1.2 mg L(-1), (4) the pH was between 7.5 and 8.2, and (5) the temperature was between 28 and 30 °C. Both the NH4 (+)-N removal and conversion to NO2 (-)-N in the nitritation membrane reactor (NMBR) were maintained at about 50 %, and the residual NH4 (+)-N and accumulated NO2 (-)-N were subsequently treated in the bioelectrochemical-sulfur three-dimensional denitrification reactor. The CANBSD energy consumption was 0.13 and 3.4 kWh m(-3), respectively, for influent NH4 (+)-N of 100 and 1000 mg L(-1). The energy consumption of CANBSD was close to that of partial nitritation-ANNMMOX.

Young-Chae Song, Gyung-Geun Oh

Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment • 2015

Seung Joo Lim, Wooshin Park, Tak-Hyun Kim et al.

Bioresource Technology • 2012

Li-Juan Zhang, Hu-Chun Tao, Xue-Yan Wei et al.

Chemosphere • 2012

The cathodic reduction of complex-state copper(II) was investigated in a dual chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC). The inner resistance of MFC system could be reduced in the presence of ionizing NH(4)(+), however, mass transfer was hindered at higher ammonia concentration. Thermodynamic and electrochemical analyses indicated that the processes of complex dissociation and copper reduction were governed by the ratio of T[Cu]:T[NH(3)] and the pH of solution. The reduction of Cu(NH(3))(4)(2+) could be achieved via two possible pathways: (1) releasing Cu(2+) from Cu(NH(3))(4)(2+), then reducing Cu(2+) to Cu or Cu(2)O and (2) Cu(NH(3))(4)(2+) accepting an electron and forming Cu(NH(3))(2)(+), and depositing as Cu or Cu(2)O consequently. At initial concentration of 350 mg T[Cu] L(-1), copper removal efficiency of 96% was obtained at pH=9.0 within 12 h (with △Cu/△COD=1.24), 84% was obtained at pH=3.0 within 8 h (with △Cu/△COD=1.72). Cu(NH(3))(4)(2+) was reduced as polyhedral deposits on the cathode.

Seung Joo Lim, Tak-Hyun Kim

Bioresource Technology • 2015

Jung Rae Kim, Young Eun Song, Ganapathiraman Munussami et al.

Geosystem Engineering • 2015

Heyang Yuan, Zhen He

Bioresource Technology • 2015

Daohai Xie, Chenchen Li, Rong Tang et al.

Electrochemistry Communications • 2014

Zhiqiang Zhao, Yaobin Zhang, Shuo Chen et al.

Scientific Reports • 2014

Yaobin Lu, Mohan Qin, Heyang Yuan et al.

Water • 2014

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) and forward osmosis (FO) are two emerging technologies with great potential for energy-efficient water/wastewater treatment. BES takes advantage of microbial interaction with a solid electron acceptor/donor to accomplish bioenergy recovery from organic compounds, and FO can extract high-quality water driven by an osmotic pressure. The strong synergy between those two technologies may complement each other and collaboratively address water-energy nexus. FO can assist BES with achieving water recovery (for future reuse), enhancing electricity generation, and supplying energy for accomplishing the cathode reactions; while BES may help FO with degrading organic contaminants, providing sustainable draw solute, and stabilizing water flux. This work has reviewed the recent development that focuses on the synergy between BES and FO, analyzed the advantages of each combination, and provided perspectives for future research. The findings encourage further investigation and development for efficient coordination between BES and FO towards an integrated system for wastewater treatment and reuse.

Ka Yu Cheng, Goen Ho, Ralf Cord-Ruwisch

Bioresource Technology • 2012

A membraneless bioelectrochemical system - rotatable bio-electrochemical contactor (RBEC) consists of an array of rotatable electrode disks was developed to convert the chemical energy from wastewater organics (acetate) directly into electricity. Each rotatable electrode disk had an upper-air exposing and a lower-water submerging halves. Intermittent rotation (180°) enabled each halve to alternately serve as anode and cathode. Removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was increased by 15% (from 0.79 to 0.91 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)) by allowing electron flow from the lower to the upper disk halves. Coupling with a potentiostat could alleviate cathodic limitation and increased COD removal to 1.32 kg COD m(-3) day(-1) (HRT 5h). About 40% of the COD removed was via current, indicating that the biofilm could use the lower half disk as electron acceptor. The RBEC removed COD more energy-efficiently than conventional activated sludge processes as active aeration is not required (0.47 vs. 0.7-2.0 kW h kg COD(-1)).

Jian Li, Zheng Ge, Zhen He

Bioresource Technology • 2014

A fluidized bed membrane bioelectrochemical reactor (MBER) was investigated using fluidized granular activated carbon (GAC) as a mean of membrane fouling control. During the 150-day operation, the MBER generated electricity with contaminant removal from either synthetic solution or actual wastewater, as a standalone or a coupled system. It was found that fluidized GAC could significantly reduce transmembrane pressure (TMP), although its function as a part of the anode electrode was minor. When the MBER was linked to a regular microbial fuel cell (MFC) for treating a wastewater from a cheese factory, the MFC acted as a major process for energy recovery and contaminant removal, and the coupled system removed more than 90% of chemical oxygen demand and >80% of suspended solids. The analysis showed that the ratio of energy recovery and consumption was slightly larger than one, indicating that the coupled system could be theoretically energy neutral.

Younggy Kim, Bruce E. Logan

Desalination • 2012

Annemiek Ter Heijne, Fei Liu, Lucas S. van Rijnsoever et al.

Journal of Power Sources • 2011

Jie Chen, Feng Deng, Yongyou Hu et al.

Journal of Power Sources • 2015

Young-Chae Song, Dae-Sup Kim, Jung-Hui Woo et al.

International Journal of Energy Research • 2015

Fang Zhang, Matthew D. Merrill, Justin C. Tokash et al.

Journal of Power Sources • 2011

Unknown Author

Fuel Cells Bulletin • 2015

B.S. Lim, H. Lu, C. Choi et al.

Desalination and Water Treatment • 2015

A. Fraiwan, S. P. Adusumilli, D. Han et al.

Fuel Cells • 2014

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an alternative electricity generating technology and efficient method for removing organic material from wastewater. Their low power densities, however, hinder practical applications. A primary limitation in these systems is the anode. The chemical makeup and surface area of the anode influences bacterial respiration rates and in turn, electricity generation. Some of the highest power densities have been reported using large surface area anodes, but due to variable chemical/physical factors (e.g., solution chemistry, architecture) among these studies, meaningful comparisons are difficult to make. In this work, we compare under identical conditions six micro/nano‐structured anodes in micro‐sized MFCs (47 μL). The six materials investigated include carbon nanotube (CNT), carbon nanofiber (CNF), gold/poly (ϵ‐caprolactone) microfiber (GPM), gold/poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) nanofiber (GPN), planar gold (PG), and conventional carbon paper (CP). The MFCs using three dimensional anode structures (CNT, CNF, GPM, and GPN) exhibited lower internal resistances than the macroscopic CP and two‐dimensional PG anodes. However, those novel anode materials suffered from major issues such as high activation loss and instability for long‐term operation, causing an enduring problem in creating widespread commercial MFC applications. The reported work provides an in‐depth understanding of the interplay between micro‐/nano‐structured anodes and active microbial biofilm, suggesting future directions of those novel anode materials for MFC technologies.

J.M. Gohil, D.G. Karamanev

Journal of Power Sources • 2013

Di Yan, Xuewei Yang, Wenqiao Yuan

Journal of Power Sources • 2015

Fang Zhang, Guang Chen, Michael A. Hickner et al.

Journal of Power Sources • 2012

E. Baranitharan, Maksudur R. Khan, Abu Yousuf et al.

Fuel • 2015

Hyun-Woo Kim, Joo-Youn Nam, Hang-Sik Shin

Journal of Power Sources • 2011

P. P. Rajesh, MD. T. Noori, M. M. Ghangrekar

Water Science and Technology • 2014

Methanogens compete with anodophiles for substrate and thus reduce the power generation and coulombic efficiency (CE) of the microbial fuel cell (MFC). Performance of a baked clayware membrane MFC inoculated with mixed anaerobic sludge pretreated with lauric acid was investigated in order to enhance power recovery by controlling methanogenesis. In the presence of lauric acid pretreated inoculum, MFC produced maximum volumetric power density of 4.8 W/m3 and the CE increased from 3.6% (for untreated inoculum) to 11.6%. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electro-kinetic evaluation indicated a higher bio-catalytic activity at the anode of the MFC inoculated with lauric acid pretreated sludge. With the lauric acid pretreated inoculum a higher catalytic current of 114 mA, exchange current density of 40.78 mA/m2 and lower charge transfer resistance of 0.00016 Ωm2 were observed during oxidation at the anode. Addition of lauric acid significantly achieved suppression of methanogenesis and enhanced the sustainable power generation of MFC by 3.9 times as compared with control MFC inoculated with sludge without any pretreatment.

Nik Mahmood Nik Azmi, Nazlee Faisal Ghazali, Ahmad Fikri et al.

Advanced Materials Research • 2015

A membrane-less and mediator-less system was designed and tested with wastewater sample as fuel to generate electricity. Microorganisms were first isolated from the wastewater sample to pure culture and were used as the ‘machinery’ that converts wastewater into energy. The wastewater samples were treated either by sterilization or non-sterilization methods. These tests were run using a modified air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC). By sterilizing the wastewater, the calculated power density was much lower compared to non-sterilized wastewater indicating a significant role of microbial activity in the SCMFC system and substrate availability. Furthermore, mixed culture was observed to give larger power density compared to an individual microbe (18.42 ± 5.84 mW/m 2 for mixed culture and 8.82 ± 4.56 mW/m 2 to 9.46 ± 4.87 mW/m 2 for individual microbe, Bukholderi capecia and Acidovorax sp . respectively) to prove that larger power value could be achieved with a mixed microbial system. In addition, the system proved to remove 68.57% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the wastewater sample tested. In conclusion, the designed SCMFC has been proven capable of power generation and wastewater treatment comparable to other SCMFCs to date.

Xiaoling Yang, Jindan Lu, Yihua Zhu et al.

Journal of Power Sources • 2011

Yaping Zhang, Yongyou Hu, Sizhe Li et al.

Journal of Power Sources • 2011

Min Hea Kim, Ifeyinwa J. Iwuchukwu, Ying Wang et al.

Journal of Power Sources • 2011

Booki Min, Finn Willy Poulsen, Anders Thygesen et al.

Bioresource Technology • 2012

Xu Zhang, Hao Ren, Soonjae Pyo et al.

IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics • 2015

Jingmei Piao

Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology • 2012

Ayyaru Sivasankaran, Dharmalingam Sangeetha

Fuel • 2015