Modeling and simulation of the processes in desalination fuel cell fed with actual wetland brackish water

Abstract

Microbial desalination cell (MDC) is a new sustainable technique for simultaneous desalination, bioelectrochemical treatment, and power generation. In this study, three mathematical models were adopted to describe the performance of two different configurations of MDC system; a conventional three-chambered MDC with single desalination chamber, and a stacked microbial desalination cell (SMDC) with three desalination chambers. Both systems were fueled with real sewage and fed actual wetland saline water. The performance of MDC and SMDC systems were evaluated based on organic content removal from real sewage, desalination of brackish water, and power generation. The mathematical models were; (1) electrochemical model based on electrochemical reactions and the diffusion of ions across membranes, (2) Monod model based on Monod kinetic equation, and (3) salt concentration balance model to reflect salinity removal in the desalination chambers. The predicted results demonstrated acceptable agreement with experimental results with determination coefficients R2 > 90%.