TY - JOUR
T1 - COD removal characteristics in air-cathode microbial fuel cells
AU - Zhang, Xiaoyuan
AU - He, Weihua
AU - Ren, Lijiao
AU - Stager, Jennifer
AU - Evans, Patrick J.
AU - Logan, Bruce E.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank David Jones for laboratory support and Mark Ullery for discussions on domestic wastewater COD removal rates. This research was supported by Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Award KUS-I1-003-13 from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51408336 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - Exoelectrogenic microorganisms in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) compete with other microorganisms for substrate. In order to understand how this affects removal rates, current generation, and coulombic efficiencies (CEs), substrate removal rates were compared in MFCs fed a single, readily biodegradable compound (acetate) or domestic wastewater (WW). Removal rates based on initial test conditions fit first-order kinetics, but rate constants varied with circuit resistance. With filtered WW (100Ω), the rate constant was 0.18h-1, which was higher than acetate or filtered WW with an open circuit (0.10h-1), but CEs were much lower (15-24%) than acetate. With raw WW (100Ω), COD removal proceeded in two stages: a fast removal stage with high current production, followed by a slower removal with little current. While using MFCs increased COD removal rate due to current generation, secondary processes will be needed to reduce COD to levels suitable for discharge.
AB - Exoelectrogenic microorganisms in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) compete with other microorganisms for substrate. In order to understand how this affects removal rates, current generation, and coulombic efficiencies (CEs), substrate removal rates were compared in MFCs fed a single, readily biodegradable compound (acetate) or domestic wastewater (WW). Removal rates based on initial test conditions fit first-order kinetics, but rate constants varied with circuit resistance. With filtered WW (100Ω), the rate constant was 0.18h-1, which was higher than acetate or filtered WW with an open circuit (0.10h-1), but CEs were much lower (15-24%) than acetate. With raw WW (100Ω), COD removal proceeded in two stages: a fast removal stage with high current production, followed by a slower removal with little current. While using MFCs increased COD removal rate due to current generation, secondary processes will be needed to reduce COD to levels suitable for discharge.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.11.001
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.11.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 25460980
AN - SCOPUS:84911375779
SN - 0960-8524
VL - 176
SP - 23
EP - 31
JO - Bioresource technology
JF - Bioresource technology
ER -
