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International Journal of Environment Science and Technology
Center for Environment and Energy Research and Studies (CEERS)
ISSN: 1735-1472 EISSN: 1735-1472
Vol. 13, No. 4, 2016, pp. 1055-1064
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Bioline Code: st16099
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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International Journal of Environment Science and Technology, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2016, pp. 1055-1064
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A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization
Al-Mamun, A.; Lefebvre, O.; Baawain, M. S. & Ng, H. Y.
Abstract
A denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel
cell was developed to investigate the replacement of the
costly Pt-coated abiotic cathodes for electricity generation.
The denitrifying biocathode was sandwiched between the
dual-anode systems. The study investigated the performance
for simultaneous treatment of wastewater on the
anode, biological denitrification on the cathode and the
potential recovery of electrical energy. Autotrophic biofilms
performed denitrification on the cathode using supplied
electrons by the biodegradation of organics on the
anode. Graphite granules were used as electrodes for biofilm
attachment, and nafion membranes were used as separators
between electrodes. The system achieved a
volumetric power of 7 ± 0.4 W m-3 net cathodic compartment
(NCC) with the simultaneous removal of
229.5 ± 18 mg L-1 COD on anode and 88.9 g m-3
NCC day-1 nitrogen on cathode, respectively. The
columbic efficiency for cathodic and anodic reactions was
98.9 ± 0.57 and 23.54 ± 0.87 %, respectively. This is a
combined study for domestic wastewater treatment and
biological denitrification in a compact MFC reactor.
Further optimization of the system is desired to improve its
performance and applicability.
Keywords
Autotrophic biofilms; Biocathode; Bioelectricity production; Biological denitrification; Microbial fuel cell; Microbial electrochemistry
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