Electricity generation and treatment of paper recycling wastewater using a microbial fuel cell

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2008-08, Vol.80 (2), p.349-355
• Main Authors: Huang, Liping, Logan, Bruce E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteria - metabolism; Bioelectric Energy Sources - microbiology; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors - microbiology; Biotechnology; Breweries; Cellulose; Cellulose - metabolism; Chemical oxygen demand; Chromatography; Conductivity; Conservation of Energy Resources - methods; Efficiency; Electric power generation; Electricity; Electricity generation; Energy efficiency; Environmental Biotechnology; Fuel cells; Fuel technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Industrial Waste - analysis; Laboratories; Life Sciences; Microbial fuel cell; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Organic matter; Oxygen - metabolism; Paper recycling; Paper recycling wastewater; Power production; Pulp & paper industry; Recycling; Sewage - microbiology; Solution conductivity; Studies; Sustainable agriculture; Wastewater; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-008-1546-7

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.