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Abstract
Nowadays, pollution caused by energy production systems is a major environmental concern. Therefore, the development of sustainable energy sources is required. Amongst others, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) seems to be a possible solution because it can produce clean energy at the same time that waste is stabilized. Unfortunately, mainly due to industrial discharges, the wastes could contain nitrates, or nitrates precursors such ammonia, which could lead to lower performance in terms of electricity production. In this work, the feasibility of coupling anodic denitrification process with electricity production in MFC and the effect of the nitrates over the MFC performance were studied. During the experiments, it was observed that the culture developed in the anodic chamber of the MFC presented a significant amount of denitrificative microorganisms. The MFC developed was able to denitrify up to 4 ppm, without affecting the current density exerted, of about 1 mA/cm2. Regarding the denitrification process, it must be highlighted that the maximum denitrification rate achieved with the culture was about 60 mg·NO3−·L−1·h−1. Based on these results, it can be stated that it is possible to remove nitrates and to produce energy, without negatively affecting the electrical performance, when the nitrate concentration is low.
Highlights
Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are electrochemical devices that exploit the metabolic abilities of the microorganisms to convert the chemical energy contained in organic and inorganic substrates into electricity [1]
One of the most attractive energy sources for MFCs is wastewater, mainly because electricity production could be combined with wastewater treatment [9,10]
The aeration process account for half of the operation costs at a typical treatment plant [11] but it is not necessary in MFC
Summary
Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are electrochemical devices that exploit the metabolic abilities of the microorganisms to convert the chemical energy contained in organic and inorganic substrates into electricity [1]. The electrons are used to reduce an oxidizing agent, usually oxygen [2] In this way substrates are oxidized at the same time that an electrical current is produced [3,4,5,6]. The microorganisms that power MFC can oxidize a diverse range of “dirty” fuels that are often of little perceived value. Amongst these dirty fuels, organic waste, organic matter contained in soils and sediments, compost, etc., can be found [7,8]. Using MFCs could drastically reduce solids production at a wastewater treatment plant, substantially reducing operating costs for solids handling [13]
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