Toward Optimization of Wood Industry Wastewater Treatment in Microbial Fuel Cells—Mixed Wastewaters Approach

Monika Kloch,Renata Toczyłowska-Mamińska

doi:10.3390/en13010263

Monika Kloch, Renata Toczyłowska-Mamińska

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010263

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Journal: Energies	Publication Date: Jan 5, 2020
Citations: 31	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Abstract

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) has the potential to become a promising sustainable technology of wastewater treatment. Usually, the investigations on MFCs are aimed at maximized power production in the system. In this article, we focused on the optimization of wood industry wastewater treatment in MFC, in combination with municipal wastewater as a source of microorganisms. We investigated the influence of different external resistance (2000 Ω, 1000 Ω, 500 Ω, and 100 Ω) on power density and wastewater treatment efficiency (chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal) in 1-month MFC operation time. We found that the highest COD removal was for MFCs under R = 1000 Ω after 22 days of MFC operation, while the highest current density was obtained for the lowest applied resistance. The results imply that wastewater treatment parameters such as resistance and time of MFC operation should be a subject of optimization for each specific type of wastewater used, in order to maximize either wastewater treatment efficiency or power production in MFC. Thus, optimization of power production and COD removal efficiency in MFCs need to be run separately as different resistances are required for maximizing these two parameters. When COD removal efficiency is a subject of optimization, there is no universal value of external resistance, but it should be set to the specific wastewater characteristics.

Highlights

Microbial fuel cell technology (MFC) enables sustainable treatment of various wastewaters, e.g., domestic [1], brewery [2], distillery [3], hospital [4], pharmaceutical [5], paper [6], wine [7], sewage sludge [8], mine drainage wastewater [9], or pulping wastewater [10]
The results imply that wastewater treatment parameters such as resistance and time of MFC operation should be a subject of optimization for each specific type of wastewater used, in order to maximize either wastewater treatment efficiency or power production in MFC
We investigated the influence of different external resistance on wood industry wastewater treatment efficiency throughout MFC operation

Summary

Introduction

Microbial fuel cell technology (MFC) enables sustainable treatment of various wastewaters, e.g., domestic [1], brewery [2], distillery [3], hospital [4], pharmaceutical [5], paper [6], wine [7], sewage sludge [8], mine drainage wastewater [9], or pulping wastewater [10]. An obvious gain from the MFC technology application is current produced in the system, but valuable is effective wastewater treatment that accompanies current production. Application of MFCs to wastewater treatment allowed for organic matter removal (measured by chemical oxygen demand-COD removal efficiency) and for reducing content of nitrogen, phosphorus, and various, often toxic, metals (e.g., Cr, Cu, Fe, Co) in wastewater [11,12,13,14]. In case of some wastewaters, COD or metal removal efficiencies exceeded 90% what enables direct reuse of the MFC-treated water [15].

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Conclusion