Journal
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
Volume 101, Issue 4, Pages 1190-1198Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2009.09.023
Keywords
Microbial fuel cell (MFC); Tubular reactor; Low organic loading; Electricity generation
Funding
- UK EPSRC SUPERGEN Biological Fuel Cell Project [EP/D047943/1, 68-3A75-3-150]
- EPSRC [EP/H019480/1, EP/D047943/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EP/D047943/1, EP/H019480/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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Energy recovery while treating low organic loads has been investigated using longitudinal tubular microbial fuel cell (MFC) reactors. Duplicate reactors, each consisting of two modules, were operated with influent sucrose organic loading rates (OLRs) between 0.04 and 0.42 g COD/l/d. Most soluble COD (sCOD) removal occurred in the first modules with predominantly VFAs reaching the second modules. Coulombic efficiency (CE) in the second modules ranged from 9% to 92% which was 3-4 times higher than the first modules. The maximum energy production was 1.75 W h/g COD in the second modules at OLR 0.24 g/l/d, up to 10 times higher than the first modules, attributable to non-fermentable substrate. A simple plug flow model of the reactors, including a generic non-electrogenic reaction competing for acetate, was developed. This modular tubular design can reproducibly distribute bioprocesses between successive modules and could be scalable, acting as a polishing stage while reducing energy requirements in wastewater treatment. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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