Abstract
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are a novel, promising technology for the recovery of metals. The prerequisite for upscaling from laboratory to industrial size is that high current and high power densities can be produced. In this study we report the recovery of copper from a copper sulfate stream (2 g L-1 Cu2+) using a laboratory scale BES at high rate. To achieve this, we used a novel cell configuration to reduce the internal voltage losses of the system. At the anode, electroactive microorganisms produce electrons at the surface of an electrode, which generates a stable cell voltage of 485 mV when combined with a cathode where copper is reduced. In this system, a maximum current density of 23 A m-2 in combination with a power density of 5.5 W m-2 was produced. XRD analysis confirmed 99% purity in copper of copper deposited onto cathode surface. Analysis of voltage losses showed that at the highest current, most voltage losses occurred at the cathode, and membrane, while anode losses had the lowest contribution to the total voltage loss. These results encourage further development of BESs for bioelectrochemical metal recovery.
Highlights
Heavy metals pose a serious problem when they are released into the environment due to their toxicity for humans and its negative effect on biodiversity (Norgate and Rankin, 2002)
To force the electrolyte to flow perpendicular through the electrodes, 1.2 mm spacer (64% open; PETEX 07-4000/64, Sefar BV, Goor, Netherlands) was placed between the membrane and the electrodes in both compartments (Figure 1)
The anode, cathode, spacer material, and membrane were kept in place by bolting them in between two PMMA endplates
Summary
Heavy metals pose a serious problem when they are released into the environment due to their toxicity for humans and its negative effect on biodiversity (Norgate and Rankin, 2002). Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) can provide the energy by the bioelectrochemical degradation of organic compounds present in waste waters, for instance, acetate (electron donor), at a so called bioanode. By coupling this bioanode to a metal reducing cathode, waste water treatment can be coupled to the recovery of heavy metals in a clean and sustainable way. It is possible to add extra electrical energy to drive and accelerate a reduction reaction at the cathode, in that case, the system is known as a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) (Logan et al, 2008). The anode and the cathode compartment are generally separated by a membrane to simultaneously avoid mixing of the
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