Abstract
Ferric iron (Fe(III)) ions are efficient electron acceptor in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). For the first time, this study applied the enriched Fe(II)-oxidizing microflora individually from rust deposits, aerobic sludge, or topsoil to catholyte to regenerate Fe(III) ions to boost BES operation. Among three microflora, the rust-microflora had the highest Fe2+ oxidation rate and the lowest Fe ion loss rate since Acidithiobacillus sp., Ferrovum sp., Rhodobacter sp., Sphingomonas sp., and others enriched it. The rust-seeded BES generated the maximum power density of 77.15 ± 1.62 Wm−3 at 15 ℃, 38.9 %, and 31.4 % higher than those in sludge and topsoil-seeded BES, respectively. The rust-microflora with enriched Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria could enhance the performance of BES, reaching coulombic efficiencies of 98.2 ± 2.6 at reduced internal resistance (5.14 Ω), with 1.59 Ω by activation resistance and 0.77 Ω by diffusion resistance.
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