Sediment microbial fuel cell with floating biocathode for organic removal and energy recovery

A sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) with three dimensional floating biocathode (FBC) was developed for the electricity generation and biodegradation of sediment organic matter in order to avoid negative effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) depletion in aqueous environments on cathode performance and search cost-effective cathode materials. The biocathode was made from graphite granules with microbial attachment to replace platinum (Pt)-coated carbon paper cathode in a laboratory-scale SMFC (3 L in volume) filled with river sediment (organic content 49±4 g·kg^-1 dry weight). After start-up of 10 days, the maximum power density of 1.00W·m^-3 (based on anode volume) was achieved. The biocathode was better than carbon paper cathode catalyzed by Pt. The attached biofilm on cathode enhanced power generation significantly. The FBC enhanced SMFC performance further in the presence aeration. The SMFC was continuously operated for an over 120-day period. Power generation peaked within 24 days, declined gradually and stabilized at a level of 1/6 peak power output. At the end, the sediment organic matter content near the anode was removed by 29% and the total electricity generated was equal to 0.251 g of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removed.     

Simultaneously recovering electricity and water from wastewater by osmotic microbial fuel cells: Performance and membrane fouling

Since the concept of the osmotic microbial fuel cell (OsMFC) was introduced in 2011, it has attracted growing interests for its potential applications in wastewater treatment and energy recovery. However, forward osmosis (FO) membrane fouling resulting in a severe water flux decline remains a main obstacle. Until now, the fouling mechanisms of FO membrane especially the development of biofouling layer in the OsMFC are not yet clear. Here, the fouling behavior of FO membrane in OsMFCs was systematically investigated. The results indicated that a thick fouling layer including biofouling and inorganic fouling was existed on the FO membrane surface. Compared to the inorganic fouling, the biofouling played a more important role in the development of the fouling layer. Further analyses by the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) implied that the growth of biofouling layer on the FO membrane surface in the OsMFC could be divided into three stages. Initially, microorganisms associated with ß-D-glucopyranose polysaccharides were deposited on the FO membrane surface. After that, the microorganisms grew into a biofilm caused a quick decrease of water flux. Subsequently, some of microorganisms were dead due to lack of nutrient source, in the meantime, polysaccharide and proteins in the biofouling layer were decomposed as nutrient source, thus leading to a slow development of the biofouling layer. Moreover, the microorganisms played a significant role in the formation and development of the biofouling layer, and further studies are needed to mitigate the deposition of microorganisms on FO membrane surfaces in OsMFCs.

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Shipboard bilge water treatment by electrocoagulation powered by microbial fuel cells

Reveals the synergy between microbial fuel cells and electrocoagulation. Demonstrates MFC-ECC shipboard wastewater treatment is advantageous. MFC-ECC integration enables energy neutral bilge water treatment. Ships generate large amounts of wastewater including oily bilge water, blackwater and greywater. Traditionally they are treated separately with high energy consumption. In this study we demonstrate the feasibility that these waste streams can be treated using an integrated electrocoagulation cell (ECC) and microbial fuel cell (MFC) process, which not only synergized the contaminants removal but also accomplished energy neutrality by directly powering EC with MFC electricity. Results showed that MFC stack powered ECC removed 93% of oily organics, which is comparable to the performance of an external DC voltage powered ECC. In the meantime, more than 80% of COD was removed from MFCs when fed with either acetate or municipal wastewater. Moreover, the ECC electrode area and distance showed notable effects on current generation and contaminants removal, and further studies should focus on operation optimization to enhance treatment efficiency.     

Occurrence of veterinary antibiotics in struvite recovery from swine wastewater by using a fluidized bed

Antibiotics in wastewater pose pharmacological threats to phosphorous recovery. Recovered struvite particles possessed significantly antibiotic residues. Smaller granules contained much more antibiotics than the larger ones. Organic matters and struvite granulation process exerted significant impacts. Recovering phosphorus from livestock wastewater has gained extensive attention. The residue of veterinary antibiotics in the wastewater may be present in the recovered products, thereby posing pharmacological threats to the agricultural planting and human health. This study investigated antibiotic occurrence in the struvite particles recovered from swine wastewater by using a fluidized bed. Results revealed that tetracyclines possessed significant residues in the struvite granules, with the values ranging from 195.2 mg·kg⁻¹ to 1995.0 mg·kg⁻¹. As for fluoroquinolones, their concentrations varied from 0.4 mg·kg⁻¹ to 1104.0 mg·kg⁻¹. Struvite particles were of various sizes and shapes and displayed different antibiotic adsorption capacities. The data also showed that the smaller granules contained much more antibiotics than the larger ones, indicating that the fluidized granulation process of struvite crystals plays an important role on the accumulation of antibiotics. For tetracyclines, organic matters and struvite adsorption exerted significant impacts on tetracyclines migration. The outcomes underscore the need to consider the residues of antibiotics in resource recovery from wastewater because they exert pharmacological impacts on the utilization of recovered products.     

Microbial electrolysis cells with biocathodes and driven by microbial fuel cells for simultaneous enhanced Co(II) and Cu(II) removal

Cobalt and copper recovery from aqueous Co(II) and Cu(II) is one critical step for cobalt and copper wastewaters treatment. Previous tests have primarily examined Cu(II) and Co(II) removal in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) with abiotic cathodes and driven by microbial fuel cell (MFCs). However, Cu(II) and Co(II) removal rates were still slow. Here we report MECs with biocathodes and driven by MFCs where enhanced removal rates of 6.0±0.2 mg?L⁻¹?h⁻¹ for Cu(II) at an initial concentration of 50 mg?L⁻¹ and 5.3±0.4 mg?L⁻¹ h⁻¹ for Co(II) at an initial 40 mg?L⁻¹ were achieved, 1.7 times and 3.3 times as high as those in MECs with abiotic cathodes and driven by MFCs. Species of Cu(II) was reduced to pure copper on the cathodes of MFCs whereas Co(II) was removed associated with microorganisms on the cathodes of the connected MECs. Higher Cu(II) concentrations and smaller working volumes in the cathode chambers of MFCs further improved removal rates of Cu(II) (115.7 mg?L⁻¹?h⁻¹) and Co(II) (6.4 mg?L⁻¹?h⁻¹) with concomitantly achieving hydrogen generation (0.05±0.00 mol?mol⁻¹ COD). Phylogenetic analysis on the biocathodes indicates Proteobacteria dominantly accounted for 67.9% of the total reads, followed by Firmicutes (14.0%), Bacteroidetes (6.1%), Tenericutes (2.5%), Lentisphaerae (1.4%), and Synergistetes (1.0%). This study provides a beneficial attempt to achieve simultaneous enhanced Cu(II) and Co(II) removal, and efficient Cu(II) and Co(II) wastewaters treatment without any external energy consumption.     

“NEW” resource recovery from wastewater using bioelectrochemical systems: Moving forward with functions

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have been extensively studied for resource recovery from wastewater. By taking advantage of interactions between microorganisms and electrodes, BES can accomplish wastewater treatment while simultaneously recovering various resources including nutrients, energy and water (“NEW”). Despite much progress in laboratory studies, BES have not been advanced to practical applications. This paper aims to provide some subjective opinions and a concise discussion of several key challenges in BES-based resource recovery and help identify the potential application niches that may guide further technological development. In addition to further increasing recovery efficiency, it is also important to have more focus on the applications of the recovered resources such as how to use the harvested electricity and gaseous energy and how to separate the recovered nutrients in an energy-efficient way. A change in mindset for energy performance of BES is necessary to understand overall energy production and consumption. Scaling up BES can go through laboratory scale, transitional scale, and then pilot scale. Using functions as driving forces for BES research and development will better guide the investment of efforts.

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微生物燃料电池耦合连续搅拌反应系统(CSTR)低温下处理“糖蜜-电镀”废水

为提高传统微生物燃料电池(MFC)在低温条件下的效率,实现实验装置放大化.本实验将连续搅拌反应系统(CSTR)与双极室微生物燃料电池系统相结合,连续流处理糖蜜废水,并间接回收金属单质,处理模拟电镀废水,考察系统的产电性能和废水处理效果.结果表明,当系统稳定运行后,最高电压及功率密度分别可达到340 m V和58.65 m W·m-2.20 d后,系统COD去除率明显增加,最高COD去除率可达到81%.实验运行10 d后,银离子开始析出,最高去除率可达到90%左右.     

仿生植物附着微生物膜对污染水体氮素迁移转化效能分析

通过室外及室内控制试验,研究5种常见填料作为原材料制成的仿生植物对污染水体氮素的去除性能,结果表明,仿生植物原材料的差异将直接影响其附着生物膜特性,其附着生物膜量、硝化强度、反硝化强度以及硝化细菌、反硝化细菌均表现为：软性填料﹥组合填料﹥悬浮填料﹥立体弹性填料﹥半软性填料。水深对仿生植物附着生物膜亦有不同程度的影响,其中生物膜量随水深的增加并未表现出明显的分层效应,而生物膜硝化作用强度、硝化细菌随水深的增加逐渐降低,但生物膜反硝化作用强度、反硝化细菌则随水深的增加则呈现出逐渐增加的趋势。5种不同材质的仿生植物对水体TN、NH4＋-N、NO3--N具有较好的去除效果,去除率表现为：软性填料﹥组合填料﹥悬浮填料﹥立体弹性填料﹥半软性填料﹥对照系统。同时,仿生植物种植密度也影响其对水体氮素的去除效果,表现为CK〈7株·m-3〈13株·m-3〈20株·m-3,研究结果将为仿生植物的野外实际应用及我国城市重污染河道水质原位修复提供技术支持。     

Enhanced hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis through strategies of carbon recovery from alkaline/thermal treated sludge

• High hydrogen yield is recovered from thermal-alkaline pretreated sludge. • Separating SFL by centrifugation is better than filtration for hydrogen recovery. • The cascaded bioconversion of complex substrates in MECs are studied. • Energy and electron efficiency related to substrate conversion are evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate the biohydrogen production from thermal (T), alkaline (A) or thermal-alkaline (TA) pretreated sludge fermentation liquid (SFL) in a microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) without buffer addition. Highest hydrogen yield of 36.87±4.36 mgH₂/gVSS (0.026 m³/kg COD) was achieved in TA pretreated SFL separated by centrifugation, which was 5.12, 2.35 and 43.25 times higher than that of individual alkaline, thermal pretreatment and raw sludge, respectively. Separating SFL from sludge by centrifugation eliminated the negative effects of particulate matters, was more conducive for hydrogen production than filtration. The accumulated short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) after pretreatments were the main substrates for MEC hydrogen production. The maximum utilization ratio of acetic acid, propionic acid and n-butyric acid was 93.69%, 90.72% and 91.85%, respectively. These results revealed that pretreated WAS was highly efficient to stimulate the accumulation of SCFAs. And the characteristics and cascade bioconversion of complex substrates were the main factor that determined the energy efficiency and hydrogen conversion rate of MECs.     

Effect of 2-butenal manufacture wastewater to methanogenic activity and microbial community

The inhibition ratio sharply increased with the increasing COD. The absorbance of UV-vis at 420 nm showed a linear correlation with the SMA. The molecular structure of EPS has changed when COD was 9585 mg/L. Illumina Miseq sequencing was employed to reveal the microbial composition. The synthesis of 2-butenal, which is a vital raw material for the production of sorbic acid as a food preservative, generates some toxic by-products, so it is urgent to seek better detoxification strategies for the treatment of 2-butenal manufacture wastewater. In this study, batch experiments were carried out to investigate the inhibition effect of wastewater on the methanogenic activity. To understand the wastewater toxicity to anaerobic granular sludge, variations of the specific methanogenic activity (SMA) and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) constituents at various wastewater CODs were investigated. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra were employed to analyze the structure of the EPS. The results showed that the inhibitory ratio of 2-butenal manufacture wastewater was less than 8.4% on the anaerobic granular sludge when the CODs were less than 959 mg/L. However, the inhibitory ratio increased from 36.4% to 93.6% when CODs increased from 2396 mg/L to 9585 mg/L, with the SMA decreasing from 39.1 mL CH₄/(gVSS·d) to 3.2 mL CH₄/(gVSS·d). The diversity of the microbial community under various CODs was researched by Illumina 16S rRNA Miseq sequencing and the results demonstrated that Proteiniphilum、Petrimonas and Syntrophobacter were the dominant bacteria genera in all sample. Regarding archaea, Methanobacterium was the most dominated archaea genera, followed by the Methanosaeta group in all samples. Moreover, the bacterial communities had changed obviously with increasing CODs, which indicated high CODs played a negative impact on the richness and diversity of bacterial community in the sludge samples.     

Microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus as renewable biomass feedstock for electricity generation in microbial fuel cells （MFCs）

Renewable algae biomass, Scenedesmus obliquus, was used as substrate for generating electricity in two chamber microbial fuel cells （MFCs）. From polarization test, maximum power density with pretreated algal biomass was 102mW·m^2 （951mW·m^3） at current generation of 276mA·m^-2. The individual electrode potential as a function of current generation suggested that anodic oxidation process of algae substrate had limitation for high current generation in MFC. Total chemical oxygen demand （TCOD） reduction of 74% was obtained when initial TCOD concentration was 534mg · L^-1 for 150 h of operation. The main organic compounds of algae oriented biomass were lactate and acetate, which were mainly used for electricity generation. Other byproducts such as propionate and butyrate were formed at a negligible amount. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy （EIS） analysis pinpointed the charge transfer resistance （112Ω ） of anode electrode, and the exchange current density of anode electrode was 1214 nA·cm^-2.     

Recent advances in membrane bioreactor technology for wastewater treatment in China

Since the introduction of the membrane bioreactor (MBR) in China in the early 1990s, remarkable progress has been achieved on the research and application of this technology. China has now become one of the most active fields in the world in this regard. This review outlines the development of MBR-based processes in China and their performance of treating municipal and industrial wastewaters. Since membrane fouling is a critical operational problem with MBR processes, this paper also proposes updated understanding of fouling mechanisms and strategies of fouling control, which are mainly compiled from publications of Chinese researchers. As for the commercial application of MBR in the country, the latest statistics of large-scale MBR plants (>10000 m³·d⁻¹) are provided, and the growth trend of total treatment capacity as well as its driving force is analyzed.     

Feedforward control for nitrogen removal in a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic plant for municipal wastewater treatment

To improve the efficiency of nitrogen removal with lower energy consumption, the study of feedforward control was carried out on a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (AAO) plant for the treatment of municipal wastewater. The effluent qualities of the pilot plant under different control strategies were investigated. The results indicated that the change of external recycle was not a suitable approach to regulate the sludge concentration of plug-flow reactors; adjusting the aeration valve and dissolved oxygen set-point according to ammonia load could overcome the impact of influent fluctuation; and the denitrification potential could be estimated based on the transit time of anoxic zone and the relative content of carbon resource entering the anoxic zone. Simple feedforward control strategies for aeration and internal recycle were subsequently proposed and validated. The nitrogen removal was successfully improved in the pilot plant. The effluent total nitrogen had decreased by 29.9% and was steadily controlled below 15 mg·L^-1. Furthermore, approximately 38% of the energy for aeration had been saved.     

Sustainability of metal recovery from E-waste

The issue of E-waste disposal is concerning all the stakeholders, from policymakers to the end users which have accelerated the research and development on environmentally sound disposal of E-waste. The recovery of metals (gold, tantalum, copper, iron etc.) from E-waste has become an important focus. The mechanical recycling, thermo-chemical processes like pyrolysis, pyro-, hydro- and biometallurgical processes can play important roles in the Metal Recovery from E-waste (MREW) technology. For the industrial application of the MREW technology, it is important to analyze the sustainability. In this paper, two case studies have been presented on E-waste recycling industries in India and China. Based on the literature data, an attempt has been made to assess qualitatively the overall sustainability of MREW technology considering the three pillars, i.e., environmental, economic and social. Two conceptual frameworks with (Option-2) and without (Option-1) pyrolysis for integrated MREW units have been developed and the generalized energy and environmental impact analysis has been made using the principles of LCA. The impacts of two options have been compared. Option 2 has been found to be more efficient and sustainable. It has been realized that climate change, fossil fuel depletion, water depletion, eutrophication, acidification, fresh and marine water ecotoxicity are possible impact categories. The recommendations based on the generalized assessment are in good agreement with the findings of previous researchers on individual steps of MREW unit. The findings of this paper are expected to be beneficial to researchers and stakeholders for research directions and decision making on MREW.

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贺兰山东坡典型植物群落土壤微生物量碳、氮沿海拔梯度的变化特征

土壤微生物量是陆地生态系统碳循环的重要组成部分,在生态系统物质循环和能量转化中占有特别重要的地位。开展土壤微生物量与海拔高度的关系的研究,能促使人们对土壤微生物空间分布格局及其形成机制的认识,预测全球变化对生态系统功能的影响。本文对贺兰山不同海拔梯度具有代表性的荒漠化草原（HM）、蒙古扁桃灌丛（BT）、油松林（YS）、青海云杉林（QH）和高山草甸（CD）等5种植物群落土壤微生物生物量及其微生物商进行了研究。结果表明：表层土壤（0～20 cm）微生物生物量碳（MBC）、氮（MBN）大小次序为：CD〉QH〉YS〉BT〉HM,MBC、MBN随海拔梯度的升高显著增加,与土壤有机碳、氮含量有着一致的变化规律,但是微生物商（qMB）表现出沿海拔梯度先增加后减小的变化趋势,最大值出现在蒙古扁桃灌丛土壤,MBC/MBN则没有明显的变化规律。相关分析表明,不同海拔高度的土壤微生物量碳氮不仅与年均降水量、土壤含水量,而且与土壤有机碳、全氮呈显著线性正相关关系（P〈0.01）,但是与年均气温、土壤容重呈显著线性负相关关系（P〈0.01）。贺兰山土壤微生物量碳、氮随海拔高度升高而增加,降水量、气温、土壤湿度、土壤有机碳和全氮可能是影响土壤微生物量沿海拔梯度变化的关键因子。     

Bioenergy recovery from landfill gas: A case study in China

Landfill gas (LFG) utilization which means a synergy between environmental protection and bioenergy recovery was investigated in this study. Pressure swing adsorption technology was used in LFG purification, and laboratory experiment, pilot-scale test, and on-site demonstration were carried out in Shenzhen, China. In the laboratory experiment, A-type carbon molecular sieve was selected as the adsorbent by comparison of several other adsorbents. The optimal adsorption pressure and adsorption time were 0.25 MPa and 2 min, respectively, under which the product generation rate was 4.5 m³/h and the methane concentration was above 90%. The process and optimization of the pilot-scale test were also reported in the paper. The product gas was of high quality compared with the National Standard of Compressed Natural Gas as Vehicle Fuel (GB18047-2000), when the air concentration in feed gas was under 10.96%. The demonstration project was composed of a collection system, production system, and utilization system. The drive performance, environmental protection performance, and economic feasibility of the product gas — as alternative fuel in passenger car, truck, and bulldozer—were tested, showing the feasibility technology for LFG utilization.     

Engineering application of membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment in China: Current state and future prospect

China has been the forerunner of large-scale membrane bioreactor （MBR） application. Since the first large-scale MBR （≥ 10 000 m^3·d^-1） was put into operation in 2006, the engineering implementation of MBR in China has attained tremendous development. This paper outlines the commercial application of MBR since 2006 and provides a variety of engineering statistical data, covering the fields of municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, and polluted surface water treatment. The total treatment capacity of MBRs reached 1× 10^6 m^3·d^-1 in 2010, and has currently exceeded 4.5 × 10^6 m^3·d^-1 with -75% of which pertaining to municipal wastewater treatment. The anaerobic/anoxic/aerobie-MBR and its derivative processes have been the most popular in the large-scale municipal application, with the process features and typical ranges of parameters also presented in this paper. For the treatment of various types of industrial wastewater, the configurations of the MBR-based processes are delineated with representative engineering cases. In view of the significance of the cost issue, statistics of capital and operating costs are also provided, including cost structure and energy composition. With continuous stimulation from the environmental stress, political propulsion, and market demand in China, the total treatment capacity is expected to reach 7.5 × 10^6 m^3·d^-1 by 2015 and a further expansion of the market is foreseeable in the next five years. However, MBR application is facing several challenges, such as the relatively high energy consumption. Judging MBR features and seeking suitable application areas should be of importance for the long-term development of this technology.     

Selective recovery of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from wastewater using bioelectrochemical system

As the bioelectrochemical system, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) and the microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) were developed to selectively recover Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions from wastewater. The wastewater was treated in the cathode chambers of the system, in which Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions were removed by using the MFC and the MEC, respectively. At an initial Cu²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, removal efficiencies of Cu²⁺ increased from 97.0%±1.8% to 99.0%±0.3% with the initial Ni²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.1±0.5 to 5.4±0.6 W·m^-3. The Ni²⁺ removal mass in the MEC increased from 6.8±0.2 to 20.5±1.5 mg with the increase of Ni²⁺ concentrations. At an initial Ni²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, Cu²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 99.1%±0.3% to 74.2%±3.8% with the initial Cu²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.0±0.1 to 6.3±1.2 W·m^-3. Subsequently, the Ni²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 96.9%±3.1% to 73.3%±5.4%. The results clearly demonstrated the feasibility of selective recovery of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ from the wastewater using the bioelectrochemical system.     

煤气化废水中有机物对磷酸铵镁结晶法去除氨氮的影响

研究了杂环类(吡啶、喹啉)和酚类(间甲酚、二甲酚、苯酚)有机物对磷酸铵镁结晶法(MAP,magnesium ammonium phosphate)处理废水中氨氮的影响.研究表明,杂环和酚类有机物均对MAP法的除氮效果产生抑制作用,杂环类有机物的抑制作用大于酚类有机物,其中加入吡啶、喹啉、间甲酚、二甲酚、苯酚相比于对照组(21 mg·L-1),氨氮残余浓度分别升高45.17、56.66、43.01、50.68、49.72 mg·L-1.因为络合作用和吸附作用,多组分体系MAP晶体产生的抑制作用强于单一组分体系.     

Fermentative hydrogen production from beet sugar factory wastewater treatment in a continuous stirred tank reactor using anaerobic mixed consortia

A low pH, ethanol-type fermentation process was evaluated for wastewater treatment and bio-hydrogen production from acidic beet sugar factory wastewater in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an effective volume of 9.6 L by anaerobic mixed cultures in this present study. After inoculating with aerobic activated sludge and operating at organic loading rate (OLR) of 12 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1, HRT of 8h, and temperature of 35°C for 28 days, the CSTR achieved stable ethanol-type fermentation. When OLR was further increased to 18 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1 on the 53rd day, ethanol-type fermentation dominant microflora was enhanced. The liquid fermentation products, including volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ethanol, stabilized at 1493 mg·L^-1 in the bioreactor. Effluent pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and alkalinity ranged at 4.1–4.5, -250–(-290) mV, and 230–260 mgCaCO₃?L^-1. The specific hydrogen production rate of anaerobic activated sludge was 0.1 L?gMLVSS^-1·d^-1 and the COD removal efficiency was 45%. The experimental results showed that the CSTR system had good operation stability and microbial activity, which led to high substrate conversion rate and hydrogen production ability.