Removal of ammonia from leachate by using thermophilic microbial fuel cells equipped with membrane electrode

In wastewater treatment, biological nitrogen removal is an important topic, and the optimal condition for it is a mesophilic environment. This study developed a thermophilic microbial fuel cells (thermo-MFCs) equipped with a hydrophobic membrane electrode to remove and recover ammonia and water from leachate. The results were compared with those of the mesophilic MFCs (meso-MFCs) and they show that the current and power densities for meso-MFCs are higher. The ammonia removal efficiencies of thermo-MFCs are 83% (closed circuit) and 60% (open circuit), higher than those of closed- and open-circuit meso-MFCs (48 and 38%, respectively). Water vapor, the main recovery water flux for the thermo-MFCs, provided 36.5 L m(- 2) d(- 1) using the closed-circuit mode without applied energy. Moreover, thermo-MFCs and meso-MFCs can be restored within 24 h even under inhibition by using 7200 mg L- 1 ammonia. The proposed process presents an economic and ecofriendly method to not only recover water and ammonia from leachate but also alleviate ammonia inhibition.