Yeast industry wastewater treatment with microbial fuel cells: Effect of electrode materials and reactor configurations

Simultaneous pollutant removal and electricity production using microbial fuel cells is a promising environmental sustainable technology that contributes to the circular economy. Numerous studies have been conducted previously using exogenously adding easily degradable sugars for electricity generation in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, in real-world applications involving wastewater, the performance of the process varies according on the source, the microorganisms presented and the electrodes employed. The simulta-neous treatment of baker's yeast industrial effluents and electricity generation is investi-gated in various MFCs using titanium and graphite electrodes. Reduced chemical oxygen demand (COD) is reported to be between 73% and 92% depending on the MFC configuration and electrodes employed. The two-chamber MFC with titanium electrodes and inoculum sludge from upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors (UASB) perform better, reaching 51.02 mW/m2 and 12.74 mA/cm2 power and current densities, respectively. (c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Simultaneous pollutant removal and electricity production using microbial fuel cells is a promising technology for environmental sustainability. The performance of the process varies in real-world applications involving wastewater due to different sources, microorganisms, and electrodes. This study investigates the simultaneous treatment of baker's yeast industrial effluents and electricity generation in various MFCs using titanium and graphite electrodes.