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Naderi A, Kakavandi B, Giannakis S, Angelidaki I, Rezaei Kalantary R. Putting the electro-bugs to work: A systematic review of 22 years of advances in bio-electrochemical systems and the parameters governing their performance. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 229:115843. [PMID: 37068722 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment using bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) can be considered as a technology finding application in versatile areas such as for renewable energy production and simultaneous reducing environmental problems, biosensors, and bioelectrosynthesis. This review paper reports and critically discusses the challenges, and advances in bio-electrochemical studies in the 21st century. To sum and critically analyze the strides of the last 20+ years on the topic, this study first provides a comprehensive analysis on the structure, performance, and application of BESs, which include Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs) and Microbial Desalination Cells (MDCs). We focus on the effect of various parameters, such as electroactive microbial community structure, electrode material, configuration of bioreactors, anode unit volume, membrane type, initial COD, co-substrates and the nature of the input wastewater in treatment process and the amount of energy and fuel production, with the purpose of showcasing the modes of operation as a guide for future studies. The results of this review show that the BES have great potential in reducing environmental pollution, purifying saltwater, and producing energy and fuel. At a larger scale, it aspires to facilitate the path of achieving sustainable development and practical application of BES in real-world scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azra Naderi
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Babak Kakavandi
- Research Center for Health, Safety and Environment, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Stefanos Giannakis
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E.T.S. de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Departamento de Ingeniería Civil: Hidráulica, Energía y Medio Ambiente, Environment, Coast and Ocean Research Laboratory (ECOREL-UPM), C/Profesor Aranguren, s/n, ES-28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irini Angelidaki
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Roshanak Rezaei Kalantary
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Yuan X, Feng Y, Han C, Jiang Z, Li Y, Liu J. A novel approach for enhancing nitrogen and hydrogen recovery from urine in microbial electrochemical gas-permeable membrane system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 867:161446. [PMID: 36621490 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Source-separated urine is a readily accessible nutrients dense waste stream that can be used to recover nitrogen and hydrogen. In the research, the microbial electrochemical gas-permeable membrane system (MEGS) is creatively introduced for urine treatment in removing organics, recovering the total ammonia nitrogen and high-value product of hydrogen (H2) as well as ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4). MEGS can simultaneously realize the functions of H2 recovery, in-situ efficient alkali production at the cathode, and the efficient absorption capacity of the gas-permeable membrane (GPM). Under the action of the urease enzyme, urea is hydrolyzed into large amounts of carbonic acid and ammonium, causing the pH (7.87 ± 0.13) and conductivity (5.44 ± 0.21 mS cm-1) of the anode to increase extremely rapidly. A large amount of NH4+ was transported to the cathode chamber under the strengthening effect of the electric field, enriched, and then absorbed to produce the high-quality (NH4)2SO4 to be recovered. The findings reveal that MEGS can achieve 100 % of urea removal, 88.52 ± 0.40 % of COD removal, 94.22 ± 2.57 % of nitrogen recovery, 0.58 ± 0.03 m3 m-3 d-1 of hydrogen yield, and 3.78 kg m-3 of (NH4)2SO4 production with 78.03 ± 3.51 % of coulombic efficiency during a 30-h cycle. A benefit of $18.29 can be achieved with the recovery of (NH4)2SO4 and H2 from 1 m3 of urine. The study presents a promising idea for the efficient nutrient-energy recovery and utilization of urine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaole Yuan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Environment and Ecology, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yujie Feng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Environment and Ecology, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Chunjiang Han
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Environment and Ecology, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Zhewen Jiang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Environment and Ecology, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yunfei Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Environment and Ecology, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jia Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Academy of Environment and Ecology, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China.
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Tai Y, Wang L, Hu Z, Dang Y, Guo Y, Ji X, Hu W, Li M. Efficient phosphorus recovery as struvite by microbial electrolysis cell with stainless steel cathode: Struvite purity and experimental factors. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 843:156914. [PMID: 35753464 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) recovery from waste streams is an essential choice due to the coming global P crisis. One promising solution is to recover P by microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). Both the P recovery effectiveness and product quality are of critical importance for application. In this study, a two-chamber MEC was constructed and the effects of applied voltage, NaAc concentration, Mg/P molar ratio, N/P molar ratio, and initial P concentration on P recovery and product purity were explored. The maximum P recovery efficiency of 99.64 % and crystal accumulation rate over 106.49 g/m3-d were achieved. Struvite (MAP) was confirmed as the final recovered product and the purity obtained could reach up to 99.95 %. Besides, higher applied voltage, N/P molar ratio and initial P concentration could promote P recovery efficiency, while the purity of MAP showed correlation with applied voltage, Mg/P molar ratio, N/P molar ratio and initial P concentration. The correlation between NaAc concentration and both of the above was not very significant. A lower energy consumption of 4.1 kWh/kg P was observed at the maximum P recovery efficiency. In addition, the efficiency of P recovery from real wastewater also could reach nearly 88.25 %. These results highlight the promising potential of efficient phosphorus recovery from P-rich wastewater by MEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfeng Tai
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Lingjun Wang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zhenzhen Hu
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yan Dang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yali Guo
- Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200335, China; YANGTZE Eco-Environment Engineering Research Center (Shanghai), China Three Gorges Corporation, Shanghai 200335, China
| | - Xiaonan Ji
- Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200335, China; YANGTZE Eco-Environment Engineering Research Center (Shanghai), China Three Gorges Corporation, Shanghai 200335, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Wei Hu
- Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200335, China; YANGTZE Eco-Environment Engineering Research Center (Shanghai), China Three Gorges Corporation, Shanghai 200335, China
| | - Min Li
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
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Askari A, Taherkhani M, Vahabzadeh F. Bioelectrochemical treatment of olive oil mill wastewater using an optimized microbial electrolysis cell to produce hydrogen. KOREAN J CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11814-022-1167-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Ammonium and Phosphate Recovery in a Three Chambered Microbial Electrolysis Cell: Towards Obtaining Struvite from Livestock Manure. Processes (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/pr9111916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia and phosphate, which are present in large quantities in waste streams such as livestock manure, are key compounds in fertilization activities. Their recovery will help close natural cycles and take a step forward in the framework of a circular economy. In this work, a lab-scale three-chambered microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) has been operated in continuous mode for the recovery of ammonia and phosphate from digested pig slurry in order to obtain a nutrient concentrated solution as a potential source of fertilizer (struvite). The maximum average removal efficiencies for ammonium and phosphate were 20% ± 4% and 36% ± 10%, respectively. The pH of the recovered solution was below 7, avoiding salt precipitation in the reactor. According to Visual MINTEQ software modelling, an increase of pH value to 8 outside the reactor would be enough to recover most of the potential struvite (0.21 mmol L−1 d−1), while the addition of up to 0.2 mM of magnesium to the nutrient recovered solution would enhance struvite production from 5.6 to 17.7 mM. The application of three-chambered MECs to the recovery of nutrients from high strength wastewater is a promising technology to avoid ammonia production through industrial processes or phosphate mineral extraction and close nutrient natural cycles.
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Govindan K, Im SJ, Muthuraj V, Jang A. Electrochemical recovery of H 2 and nutrients (N, P) from synthetic source separate urine water. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 269:129361. [PMID: 33383251 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study examined an electrochemical method of H2 production and nutrient recovery from synthetic source separated urine (SSU). The efficacy of H2 production was examined through hydrogen recovery experiments (HRE) using Ni foam electrodes. Similarly, nutrient (N and P) recovery was also examined in post-nutrient recovery experiments (NRE) with sacrificial Mg electrodes. To achieve higher nutrient recovery in the post-nutrient recovery process, the most important operating parameters (initial solution pH (pHi) and current density) were optimized. Optimization of NRE revealed that > 90% NH3-N and PO43--P could be recovered at 8 mA cm-2 with a pHi of 6-8. Notable NH3-N and PO43--P reduction were observed at an equimolar Mg2+ dissolution ratio (1:1) of Mg2+:NH4+ and a 1.1:1 ratio of Mg2+:PO43- respectively. However, poor total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) reduction was observed. Thus, we anticipate that direct electrochemical conversion of urea to N2 at the anode followed by H2 generation at the cathode is a more sustainable way to reduce TKN. Batch HRE showed that the initial TKN, 1094 mg L-1 (934 mg L-1 from urea-N and 160 mg L-1 from NH4Cl), was significantly reduced to 360 mg L-1 by Ni-Ni electrolysis, whereas around 53.8 g H2 gas was received from this Ni-Ni electrolysis system with a flow rate of 5-5.8 g mol-1 day-1. Overall, this work produced a 68% reduction in TKN due to electrochemical conversion of urea into H2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadarkarai Govindan
- Sustainable Water Treatment Laboratory, Graduate School of Water Resources, Sungkyunkwan University, Natural Science Campus, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sung-Ju Im
- Sustainable Water Treatment Laboratory, Graduate School of Water Resources, Sungkyunkwan University, Natural Science Campus, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Velluchamy Muthuraj
- Department of Chemistry, V.H.N Senthikumara Nadar College (Autonomous), Virudhunagar 626 001, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Am Jang
- Sustainable Water Treatment Laboratory, Graduate School of Water Resources, Sungkyunkwan University, Natural Science Campus, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Republic of Korea.
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Song YH, Hidayat S, Effendi AJ, Park JY. Simultaneous hydrogen production and struvite recovery within a microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell. J IND ENG CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2020.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Advances in Struvite Precipitation Technologies for Nutrients Removal and Recovery from Aqueous Waste and Wastewater. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12187538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The abatement of nutrient compounds from aqueous waste and wastewater is currently a priority issue. Indeed, the uncontrolled discharge of high levels of nutrients into water bodies causes serious deteriorations of environmental quality. On the other hand, the increasing request of nutrient compounds for agronomic utilizations makes it strictly necessary to identify technologies able to recover the nutrients from wastewater streams so as to avoid the consumption of natural resources. In this regard, the removal and recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus from aqueous waste and wastewater as struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) represents an attractive approach. Indeed, through the struvite precipitation it is possible to effectively remove the ammonium and phosphate content of many types of wastewater and to produce a solid compound, with only a trace of impurities. This precipitate, due to its chemical characteristics, represents a valuable multi-nutrients slow release fertilizer for vegetables and plants growth. For these reasons, the struvite precipitation technology constantly progresses on several aspects of the process. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review on the recent developments in this technology for the removal and recovery of nutrients from aqueous waste and wastewater. The theoretical background, the parameters, and the operating conditions affecting the process evolution are initially presented. After that, the paper focuses on the reagents exploitable to promote the process performance, with particular regard to unconventional low-cost compounds. In addition, the development of reactors configurations, the main technologies implemented on field scale, as well as the recent works on the use of struvite in agronomic practices are presented.
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Xiang LJ, Dai L, Guo KX, Wen ZH, Ci SQ, Li JH. Microbial electrolysis cells for hydrogen production. CHINESE J CHEM PHYS 2020. [DOI: 10.1063/1674-0068/cjcp2005075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Li-juan Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China
| | - Ling Dai
- Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China
| | - Ke-xin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China
| | - Zhen-hai Wen
- Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China
| | - Su-qin Ci
- Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China
| | - Jing-hong Li
- Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Lei Y, Remmers JC, Saakes M, van der Weijden RD, Buisman CJN. Influence of Cell Configuration and Long-Term Operation on Electrochemical Phosphorus Recovery from Domestic Wastewater. ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING 2019; 7:7362-7368. [PMID: 30972262 PMCID: PMC6446861 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b00563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is an important, scarce, and irreplaceable element, and therefore its recovery and recycling are essential for the sustainability of the modern world. We previously demonstrated the possibility of P recovery by electrochemically induced calcium phosphate precipitation. In this Article, we further investigated the influence of cell configuration and long-term operation on the removal of P and coremoved calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and inorganic carbon. The results indicated that the relative removal of P was faster than that of Ca, Mg, and inorganic carbon initially, but later, due to decreased P concentration, the removal of Ca and Mg became dominant. A maximum P removal in 4 days is 75% at 1.4 A m-2, 85% at 8.3 A m-2 and 92% at 27.8 A m-2. While a higher current density improves the removal of all ions, the relative increased removal of Ca and Mg affects the product quality. While the variation of electrode distance and electrode material have no significant effects on P removal, it has implication for reducing the energy cost. A 16-day continuous-flow test proved calcium phosphate precipitation could continue for 6 days without losing efficiency even when the cathode was covered with precipitates. However, after 6 days, the precipitates need to be collected; otherwise, the removal efficiency dropped for P removal. Economic evaluation indicates that the recovery cost lies in the range of 2.3-201.4 euro/kg P, depending on P concentration in targeted wastewater and electrolysis current. We concluded that a better strategy for producing a product with high P content in an energy-efficient way is to construct the electrochemical cell with cheaper stainless steel cathode, with a shorter electrode distance, and that targets P-rich wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Lei
- Wetsus,
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
- Sub-department
Environmental Technology, Wageningen University
and Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jorrit Christiaan Remmers
- Sub-department
Environmental Technology, Wageningen University
and Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michel Saakes
- Wetsus,
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Renata D. van der Weijden
- Wetsus,
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
- Sub-department
Environmental Technology, Wageningen University
and Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Cees J. N. Buisman
- Wetsus,
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
- Sub-department
Environmental Technology, Wageningen University
and Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Improved Microbial Electrolysis Cell Hydrogen Production by Hybridization with a TiO2 Nanotube Array Photoanode. ENERGIES 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/en11113184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) consumes the chemical energy of organic material producing, in turn, hydrogen. This study presents a new hybrid MEC design with improved performance. An external TiO2 nanotube (TNT) array photoanode, fabricated by anodization of Ti foil, supplies photogenerated electrons to the MEC electrical circuit, significantly improving overall performance. The photogenerated electrons help to reduce electron depletion of the bioanode, and improve the proton reduction reaction at the cathode. Under simulated AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW cm−2) the 28 mL hybrid MEC exhibits a H2 evolution rate of 1434.268 ± 114.174 mmol m−3 h−1, a current density of 0.371 ± 0.000 mA cm−2 and power density of 1415.311 ± 23.937 mW m−2, that are respectively 30.76%, 34.4%, and 26.0% higher than a MEC under dark condition.
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