Performance of air-cathode stacked microbial fuel cells systems for wastewater treatment and electricity production.
Water Sci Technol. 2017 Jul; 76(3-4):683-693.WS

Abstract

Two different air-cathode stacked microbial fuel cell (MFC) configurations were evaluated under continuous flow during the treatment of municipal wastewater and electricity production at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3, 1, and 0.5 d. Stacked MFC 1 was formed by 20 individual air-cathode MFC units. The second stacked MFC (stacked MFC 2) consisted of 40 air-cathode MFC units placed in a shared reactor. The maximum voltages produced at closed circuit (1,000 Ω) were 170 mV for stacked MFC 1 and 94 mV for stacked MFC 2. Different power densities in each MFC unit were obtained due to a potential drop phenomenon and to a change in chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations inside reactors. The maximum power densities from individual MFC units were up to 1,107 mW/m2 for stacked MFC 1 and up to 472 mW/m2 for stacked MFC 2. The maximum power densities in stacked MFC 1 and MFC 2 connected in series were 79 mW/m2 and 4 mW/m2, respectively. Electricity generation and COD removal efficiencies were reduced when the HRT was decreased. High removal efficiencies of 84% of COD, 47% of total nitrogen, and 30% of total phosphorus were obtained during municipal wastewater treatment.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Estrada-Arriaga EB
Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua, Paseo Cuauhnahuac 8532, Progreso, Jiutepec, Morelos C.P. 62550, Mexico E-mail: edson_estrada@tlaloc.imta.mx.
Guillen-Alonso Y
Universidad Politécnica del Estado de Morelos, Paseo Cuauhnahuac 566, Lomas del Texcal, Jiutepec, Morelos 62550, Mexico.
Morales-Morales C
Universidad Politécnica del Estado de Morelos, Paseo Cuauhnahuac 566, Lomas del Texcal, Jiutepec, Morelos 62550, Mexico.
García-Sánchez L
Universidad Politécnica del Estado de Morelos, Paseo Cuauhnahuac 566, Lomas del Texcal, Jiutepec, Morelos 62550, Mexico.
Bahena-Bahena EO
Universidad Politécnica del Estado de Morelos, Paseo Cuauhnahuac 566, Lomas del Texcal, Jiutepec, Morelos 62550, Mexico.
Guadarrama-Pérez O
Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua, Paseo Cuauhnahuac 8532, Progreso, Jiutepec, Morelos C.P. 62550, Mexico E-mail: edson_estrada@tlaloc.imta.mx.
Loyola-Morales F
Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias, Reforma 113, Palmira, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62490, México.

MeSH

Bioelectric Energy SourcesBiological Oxygen Demand AnalysisBioreactorsElectricityElectrodesWaste Disposal, FluidWaste Water

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

28759450