TY - JOUR
T1 - Electricity generation and treatment of paper recycling wastewater using a microbial fuel cell
AU - Huang, Liping
AU - Logan, Bruce E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments The authors thank Farzaneh Rezaei, James R. Zuhlke, David Jones, and Elodie Lalaurette for help with wastewater sampling and analysis. This work was supported by an I-99 Micro Industry Research Grant by the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation and the Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the American Eagle Paper Mills, and NREL contract RFH-7-77623-01.
PY - 2008/8
Y1 - 2008/8
N2 - Increased interest in sustainable agriculture and bio-based industries requires that we find more energy-efficient methods for treating cellulose-containing wastewaters. We examined the effectiveness of simultaneous electricity production and treatment of a paper recycling plant wastewater using microbial fuel cells. Treatment efficiency was limited by wastewater conductivity. When a 50 mM phosphate buffer solution (PBS, 5.9 mS/cm) was added to the wastewater, power densities reached 501±20 mW/m2, with a coulombic efficiency of 16±2%. There was efficient removal of soluble organic matter, with 73±1% removed based on soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and only slightly greater total removal (76±4%) based on total COD (TCOD) over a 500-h batch cycle. Cellulose was nearly completely removed (96±1%) during treatment. Further increasing the conductivity (100 mM PBS) increased power to 672±27 mW/m2. In contrast, only 144±7 mW/m2 was produced using an unamended wastewater (0.8 mS/cm) with TCOD, SCOD, and cellulose removals of 29±1%, 51±2%, and 16±1% (350-h batch cycle). These results demonstrate limitations to treatment efficiencies with actual wastewaters caused by solution conductivity compared to laboratory experiments under more optimal conditions.
AB - Increased interest in sustainable agriculture and bio-based industries requires that we find more energy-efficient methods for treating cellulose-containing wastewaters. We examined the effectiveness of simultaneous electricity production and treatment of a paper recycling plant wastewater using microbial fuel cells. Treatment efficiency was limited by wastewater conductivity. When a 50 mM phosphate buffer solution (PBS, 5.9 mS/cm) was added to the wastewater, power densities reached 501±20 mW/m2, with a coulombic efficiency of 16±2%. There was efficient removal of soluble organic matter, with 73±1% removed based on soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and only slightly greater total removal (76±4%) based on total COD (TCOD) over a 500-h batch cycle. Cellulose was nearly completely removed (96±1%) during treatment. Further increasing the conductivity (100 mM PBS) increased power to 672±27 mW/m2. In contrast, only 144±7 mW/m2 was produced using an unamended wastewater (0.8 mS/cm) with TCOD, SCOD, and cellulose removals of 29±1%, 51±2%, and 16±1% (350-h batch cycle). These results demonstrate limitations to treatment efficiencies with actual wastewaters caused by solution conductivity compared to laboratory experiments under more optimal conditions.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/48349122821
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/48349122821#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1007/s00253-008-1546-7
DO - 10.1007/s00253-008-1546-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 18542943
AN - SCOPUS:48349122821
SN - 0175-7598
VL - 80
SP - 349
EP - 355
JO - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
JF - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
IS - 2
ER -