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Ao TJ, Liu CG, Sun ZY, Zhao XQ, Tang YQ, Bai FW. Anaerobic digestion integrated with microbial electrolysis cell to enhance biogas production and upgrading in situ. Biotechnol Adv 2024:108372. [PMID: 38714276 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an effective and applicable technology for treating organic wastes to recover bioenergy, but it is limited by various drawbacks, such as long start-up time for establishing a stable process, the toxicity of accumulated volatile fatty acids and ammonia nitrogen to methanogens resulting in extremely low biogas productivities, and a large amount of impurities in biogas for upgrading thereafter with high cost. Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is a device developed for electrosynthesis from organic wastes by electroactive microorganisms, but MEC alone is not practical for production at large scales. When AD is integrated with MEC, not only can biogas production be enhanced substantially, but also upgrading of the biogas product performed in situ. In this critical review, the state-of-the-art progress in developing AD-MEC systems is commented, and fundamentals underlying methanogenesis and bioelectrochemical reactions, technological innovations with electrode materials and configurations, designs and applications of AD-MEC systems, and strategies for their enhancement, such as driving the MEC device by electricity that is generated by burning the biogas to improve their energy efficiencies, are specifically addressed. Moreover, perspectives and challenges for the scale up of AD-MEC systems are highlighted for in-depth studies in the future to further improve their performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian-Jie Ao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen-Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhao-Yong Sun
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Xin-Qing Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yue-Qin Tang
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Feng-Wu Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Cai Y, Li H, Qu G, Hu Y, Zou H, Zhao S, Cheng M, Chu X, Ren N. Responses of applied voltages on the archaea microbial distribution in sludge digestion. Chemosphere 2023; 339:139639. [PMID: 37495052 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
As the development of urban population led to the increase of domestic water consumption, consequently the generation of surplus sludge (SS) produced increasingly during sewage treatment processes. In order to enhance the SS resource utilization efficiency, an electricity-assisted anaerobic digestion (EAAD) system was employed to examine the alterations in the digestion broth and the characteristics of gas production. Additionally, the response of applied voltages on the distribution of archaeal community near various electrodes within the sludge was explored. The results revealed that the application of high voltages exceeding 3.0 V hindered the CH4 production but stimulated the CO2 generation. Subsequently, both CH4 and CO2 production were impeded by the applied voltages. Furthermore, the increased voltages significantly decreased the abundance of Methanomicrobia, Methanosaeta, and Methanosarcina, which were crucial determinants of CH4 content in biogas. Notably, the excessively high voltages intensities caused the AD process to halt and even inactivate the microbial flora. Interestingly, the distribution characteristics of archaeal community were influenced not only by the voltages intensity but also exhibited variations between the anode and cathode regions. Moreover, as the applied voltage intensified, the discrepancy of responses between the cathode and anode regions became more pronounced, offering novel theoretical and technical foundations for the advancement of electricity-assisted with AD technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Cai
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; National-Regional Engineering Center for Recovery of Waste Gases from Metallurgical and Chemical Industries, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Heng Li
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; Yunnan Yuntianhua Environmental Protection Technology Co., LTD, Kunming, 650228, Yunnan, China
| | - Guangfei Qu
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; National-Regional Engineering Center for Recovery of Waste Gases from Metallurgical and Chemical Industries, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China.
| | - Yinghui Hu
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; National-Regional Engineering Center for Recovery of Waste Gases from Metallurgical and Chemical Industries, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Hongmei Zou
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; National-Regional Engineering Center for Recovery of Waste Gases from Metallurgical and Chemical Industries, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Shiqiang Zhao
- Yunnan Shunfeng Erhai Environmental Protection Technology Co., LTD, Dali, 671000, Yunnan, China
| | - Minhua Cheng
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; National-Regional Engineering Center for Recovery of Waste Gases from Metallurgical and Chemical Industries, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Xiaomei Chu
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; National-Regional Engineering Center for Recovery of Waste Gases from Metallurgical and Chemical Industries, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Nanqi Ren
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China; School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150000, Heilongjiang, China
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Singh A, Rana MS, Tiwari H, Kumar M, Saxena S, Anand V, Prajapati SK. Anaerobic digestion as a tool to manage eutrophication and associated greenhouse gas emission. Sci Total Environ 2023; 861:160722. [PMID: 36493813 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Eutrophicated inland water bodies are noticed to be one of the contributing factors to greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions. Direct discharge of untreated or partially treated water is a major concern. Microalgae-based technology and management are regarded as one of the potential nature-based approaches to combat eutrophication. In turn, the microalgae facilitate the recovery of GHGs contributing compounds in the form of organic biomass. The recovered algal biomass can be harnessed for the production of biofuels and other bio-products, like biofertilizer, using anaerobic digestion. By virtue, circular bio-economy can be achieved alongside mitigating GHGs emissions. Before implementing, it is vital to thoroughly explore the links between the process and potential alternatives for wastewater treatment, waste valorization, biofuel production, and land usage. Thus, the present review discusses the impact of eutrophication on ecology and environment, current technologies for mitigating eutrophication and GHGs, and energy recovery through the anaerobic digestion of algal biomass. Further, the processes at the intercept of wastewater treatment and biogas production were reviewed to leverage the potential of anaerobic digestion for making a circular bioeconomy framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Singh
- Environment and Biofuel Research Laboratory, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy (HRED), Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India
| | - Mohit Singh Rana
- Environment and Biofuel Research Laboratory, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy (HRED), Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India
| | - Harshit Tiwari
- Environment and Biofuel Research Laboratory, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy (HRED), Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Environment and Biofuel Research Laboratory, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy (HRED), Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India
| | - Sarthak Saxena
- IITB-Monash Research Academy, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Vishal Anand
- Environment and Biofuel Research Laboratory, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy (HRED), Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India.
| | - Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati
- Environment and Biofuel Research Laboratory, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy (HRED), Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India.
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Wang XT, Zhang YF, Wang B, Wang S, Xing X, Xu XJ, Liu WZ, Ren NQ, Lee DJ, Chen C. Enhancement of methane production from waste activated sludge using hybrid microbial electrolysis cells-anaerobic digestion (MEC-AD) process - A review. Bioresour Technol 2022; 346:126641. [PMID: 34973405 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid microbial electrolysis cells-anaerobic digestion (MEC-AD) was proved to increase methane productivity and methane yield of waste activated sludge (WAS) by establishing direct interspecies electron transfer method and enriching functional microorganisms. This review first summarized the pretreatment methods of WAS for MEC-AD and then reviewed the reactor configurations, operation parameters, and the economic benefit of MEC-AD. Furthermore, the enhancement mechanisms of MEC-AD were reviewed based on the analysis of thermodynamics and microbial community. It was found that the decrease of hydrogen partial pressure due to the hydrogenotrophic methanogens enriched in cathodic biofilm and direct interspecies electron transfer between exoelectrogens and anode were the core mechanisms for improving acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis. Finally, the potentially technological issues that need to be addressed to increase energy efficiency in large-scale MEC-AD processes were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Ting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province 150090, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Yi-Feng Zhang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Song Wang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Xue Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province 150090, China
| | - Xi-Jun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province 150090, China
| | - Wen-Zong Liu
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Nan-Qi Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province 150090, China
| | - Duu-Jong Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Chuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province 150090, China.
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Amin MM, Arvin A, Feizi A, Dehdashti B, Torkian A. Meta-analysis of bioenergy recovery and anaerobic digestion in integrated systems of anaerobic digestion and microbial electrolysis cell. Biochem Eng J 2022; 178:108301. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2021.108301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Nagendranatha Reddy C, Kondaveeti S, Mohanakrishna G, Min B. Application of bioelectrochemical systems to regulate and accelerate the anaerobic digestion processes. Chemosphere 2022; 287:132299. [PMID: 34627010 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) serves as a potential bioconversion process to treat various organic wastes/wastewaters, including sewage sludge, and generate renewable green energy. Despite its efficiency, AD has several limitations that need to be overcome to achieve maximum energy recovery from organic materials while regulating inhibitory substances. Hence, bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have been widely investigated to treat inhibitory compounds including ammonia in AD processes and improve the AD operational efficiency, stability, and economic viability with various integrations. The BES operations as a pretreatment process, inside AD or after the AD process aids in the upgradation of biogas (CO2 to methane) and residual volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to valuable chemicals and fuels (alcohols) and even directly to electricity generation. This review presents a comprehensive summary of BES technologies and operations for overcoming the limitations of AD in lab-scale applications and suggests upscaling and future opportunities for BES-AD systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Nagendranatha Reddy
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seocheon-dong, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, Republic of Korea; Department of Biotechnology, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (Autonomous), Gandipet, 500075, Hyderabad, Telangana State, India
| | - Sanath Kondaveeti
- Division of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-Dong, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | | | - Booki Min
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seocheon-dong, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, Republic of Korea.
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Amin MM, Arvin A, Hosseini M, Darzi GN, Ghasemi Y. The degradation and simultaneous influence of bisphenol A on methane production in a bio-anode single-chamber microbial electrolysis cell. Biochem Eng J 2021; 176:108219. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2021.108219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Dange P, Pandit S, Jadhav D, Shanmugam P, Gupta PK, Kumar S, Kumar M, Yang Y, Bhatia SK. Recent Developments in Microbial Electrolysis Cell-Based Biohydrogen Production Utilizing Wastewater as a Feedstock. Sustainability 2021; 13:8796. [DOI: 10.3390/su13168796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Carbon constraints, as well as the growing hazard of greenhouse gas emissions, have accelerated research into all possible renewable energy and fuel sources. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), a novel technology able to convert soluble organic matter into energy such as hydrogen gas, represent the most recent breakthrough. While research into energy recovery from wastewater using microbial electrolysis cells is fascinating and a carbon-neutral technology that is still mostly limited to lab-scale applications, much more work on improving the function of microbial electrolysis cells would be required to expand their use in many of these applications. The present limiting issues for effective scaling up of the manufacturing process include the high manufacturing costs of microbial electrolysis cells, their high internal resistance and methanogenesis, and membrane/cathode biofouling. This paper examines the evolution of microbial electrolysis cell technology in terms of hydrogen yield, operational aspects that impact total hydrogen output in optimization studies, and important information on the efficiency of the processes. Moreover, life-cycle assessment of MEC technology in comparison to other technologies has been discussed. According to the results, MEC is at technology readiness level (TRL) 5, which means that it is ready for industrial development, and, according to the techno-economics, it may be commercialized soon due to its carbon-neutral qualities.
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Quashie FK, Feng K, Fang A, Agorinya S, Antwi P, Kabutey FT, Xing D. Efficiency and key functional genera responsible for simultaneous methanation and bioelectricity generation within a continuous stirred microbial electrolysis cell (CSMEC) treating food waste. Sci Total Environ 2021; 757:143746. [PMID: 33229085 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study reveals the efficient treatment of high strength food waste under varying hydraulic retention times (48 h, 36 h and 24 h) in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) integrated with microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) to become a continuous stirred microbial electrolysis cell (CSMEC). COD removal efficiency in the CSMEC surpassed 92% with OLR ranging from 0.4 to 21.31 kg COD/m3·d compared to that of the CSTR. The maximum current density (based on the cathode surface area) was 1125.35 ± 81 mA/m2 in the CSMEC. Biogas yield and methane production rates increased by 16.5% and 19.3% in the CSMEC respectively compared to the CSTR. CSMEC was 1.52 times better in performance compared to the CSTR. Firmicutes, Synergistetes, Bacteroidetes, Thermotogae, Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla associated with both CSMEC and CSTR. Archaeal microbial community analysis showed Methanosaeta, Methanobacterium, Methanosarcina and Methanocorpusculum as the dominant populations associated with the CSMEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Koblah Quashie
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; Nuclear Application Centre (NAC), National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI), Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), P.O. Box LG 80, Legon, Ghana
| | - Kun Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Anran Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Sarah Agorinya
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Philip Antwi
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Mining & Metallurgy Environmental Pollution Control, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou 341000, China
| | - Felix Tetteh Kabutey
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Defeng Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
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Hassanein A, Witarsa F, Lansing S, Qiu L, Liang Y. Bio-Electrochemical Enhancement of Hydrogen and Methane Production in a Combined Anaerobic Digester (AD) and Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) from Dairy Manure. Sustainability 2020; 12:8491. [DOI: 10.3390/su12208491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biological-based technology that generates methane-enriched biogas. A microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) uses electricity to initiate bacterial oxidization of organic matter to produce hydrogen. This study determined the effect of energy production and waste treatment when using dairy manure in a combined AD and MEC (AD-MEC) system compared to AD without MEC (AD-only). In the AD-MEC system, a single chamber MEC (150 mL) was placed inside a 10 L digester on day 20 of the digestion process and run for 272 h (11 days) to determine residual treatment and energy capacity with an MEC included. Cumulative H2 and CH4 production in the AD-MEC (2.43 L H2 and 23.6 L CH4) was higher than AD-only (0.00 L H2 and 10.9 L CH4). Hydrogen concentration during the first 24 h of MEC introduction constituted 20% of the produced biogas, after which time the H2 decreased as the CH4 concentration increased from 50% to 63%. The efficiency of electrical energy recovery (ηE) in the MEC was 73% (ηE min.) to 324% (ηE max.), with an average increase of 170% in total energy compared to AD-only. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was higher in the AD-MEC (7.09 kJ/g COD removed) system compared to AD-only (6.19 kJ/g COD removed). This study showed that adding an MEC during the digestion process could increase overall energy production and organic removal from dairy manure.
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Perez D, Lie TT, Weber CC. Relative electrode size and organic load effects on the energy storage efficiency of microbial electrolysis cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biteb.2020.100518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Abstract
Since the observation of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) in anaerobic mixed cultures in 2010s, the topic “DIET-stimulation” has been the main route to enhance the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) under harsh conditions, such as high organic loading rate (OLR) and the toxicants’ presence. In this review article, we tried to answer three main questions: (i) What are the merits and strategies for DIET stimulation? (ii) What are the consequences of stimulation? (iii) What is the mechanism of action behind the impact of this stimulation? Therefore, we introduced DIET history and recent relevant findings with a focus on the theoretical advantages. Then, we reviewed the most recent articles by categorizing how DIET reaction was stimulated by adding conductive material (CM) and/or applying external voltage (EV). The emphasis was made on the enhanced performance (yield and/or production rate), CM type, applied EV, and mechanism of action for each stimulation strategy. In addition, we explained DIET-caused changes in microbial community structure. Finally, future perspectives and practical limitations/chances were explored in detail. We expect this review article will provide a better understanding for DIET pathway in AD and encourage further research development in a right direction.
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Yuan Y, Cheng H, Chen F, Zhang Y, Xu X, Huang C, Chen C, Liu W, Ding C, Li Z, Chen T, Wang A. Enhanced methane production by alleviating sulfide inhibition with a microbial electrolysis coupled anaerobic digestion reactor. Environ Int 2020; 136:105503. [PMID: 32006760 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of organics is a challenging task under high-strength sulfate (SO42-) conditions. The generation of toxic sulfides by SO42--reducing bacteria (SRB) causes low methane (CH4) production. This study investigated the feasibility of alleviating sulfide inhibition and enhancing CH4 production by using an anaerobic reactor with built-in microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), namely ME-AD reactor. Compared to AD reactor, unionized H2S in the ME-AD reactor was sufficiently converted into ionized HS- due to the weak alkaline condition created via cathodic H2 production, which relieved the toxicity of unionized H2S to methanogenesis. Correspondingly, the CH4 production in the ME-AD system was 1.56 times higher than that in the AD reactor with alkaline-pH control and 3.03 times higher than that in the AD reactors (no external voltage and no electrodes) without alkaline-pH control. MEC increased the amount of substrates available for CH4-producing bacteria (MPB) to generate more CH4. Microbial community analysis indicated that hydrogentrophic MPB (e.g. Methanosphaera) and acetotrophic MPB (e.g. Methanosaeta) participated in the two major pathways of CH4 formation were successfully enriched in the cathode biofilm and suspended sludge of the ME-AD system. Economic revenue from increased CH4 production totally covered the cost of input electricity. Integration of MEC with AD could be an attractive technology to alleviate sulfide inhibition and enhance CH4 production from AD of organics under SO42--rich condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Yuan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Haoyi Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Fan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yiqian Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China
| | - Xijun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Cong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Chuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Wenzong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Cheng Ding
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China
| | - Zhaoxia Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China
| | - Tianming Chen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China.
| | - Aijie Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
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Park J, Shin W, Shi W, Jun H. Changes of Bacterial Communities in an Anaerobic Digestion and a Bio-Electrochemical Anaerobic Digestion Reactors According to Organic Load. Energies 2019; 12:2958. [DOI: 10.3390/en12152958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial communities change in bulk solution of anaerobic digestion (AD) and bio-electrochemical anaerobic digestion reactors (BEAD) were monitored at each organic loading rate (OLR) to investigate the effect of voltage supply on bacterial species change in bulk solution. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) degradation and methane production from AD and BEAD reactors were also analyzed by gradually increasing food waste OLR. The BEAD reactor maintained stable COD removal and methane production at 6.0 kg/m3·d. The maximum OLR of AD reactor for optimal operation was 4.0 kg/m3·d. pH and alkalinity decline and volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation, which are the problem in high load anaerobic digestion of readily decomposable food wastes, were again the major factors destroying the optimal operation condition of the AD reactor at 6.0 kg/m3·d. Contrarily, the electrochemically activated dense communities of exoelectrogenic bacteria and VFA-oxidizing bacteria prevented VFAs from accumulating inside the BEAD reactor. This maintained stable pH and alkalinity conditions, ultimately contributing to stable methane production.
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Arvin A, Hosseini M, Amin MM, Najafpour Darzi G, Ghasemi Y. Efficient methane production from petrochemical wastewater in a single membrane-less microbial electrolysis cell: the effect of the operational parameters in batch and continuous mode on bioenergy recovery. J Environ Health Sci Eng 2019; 17:305-317. [PMID: 31321049 PMCID: PMC6582024 DOI: 10.1007/s40201-019-00349-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The main objective of this study is to evaluate the treatment and simultaneous production of methane from low-strength petrochemical wastewater by single membrane-less microbial electrolysis cells. To achieve this objective, the influence of variables such as applied voltage, operation mode, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the performance of the MEC system was investigated over a period of 110 days. According to the obtained results, the maximum COD removal efficiency in the batch mode was higher than which in the continuous mode (i.e. 85.9% vs 75.3%). However, the maximum methane production in the continuous mode was almost 1.6 times higher than which in the batch mode. The results show, COD removal, methane content, and methane production in both operation modes, were enhanced as applied voltage increased from 0.6 to 0.8-1 V. The proportion of methane, methane production rate, and COD removal were increased as HRT decreased from 72 to 48 h, while these values were decreased as the HRT decreased from 48 to 12 h. In continues mode, the energy efficiency had a range of 94.7% to 97.9% with an average of 96.6% in phase III, which almost recovered all of the electrical energy input into the system. These results suggest that single membrane-less microbial electrolysis cell is a promising process in order to the treatment of low-strength wastewater and methane production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Arvin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, P.O.B. 484, Babol, Iran
| | - Morteza Hosseini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, P.O.B. 484, Babol, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mehdi Amin
- Environmental Health Engineering Department, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ghasem Najafpour Darzi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, P.O.B. 484, Babol, Iran
| | - Younes Ghasemi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Arvin A, Hosseini M, Amin MM, Najafpour Darzi G, Ghasemi Y. A comparative study of the anaerobic baffled reactor and an integrated anaerobic baffled reactor and microbial electrolysis cell for treatment of petrochemical wastewater. Biochem Eng J 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2019.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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17
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Park JG, Lee B, Park HR, Jun HB. Long-term evaluation of methane production in a bio-electrochemical anaerobic digestion reactor according to the organic loading rate. Bioresour Technol 2019; 273:478-486. [PMID: 30469138 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the effects of differing organic loading rates (OLRs) on methane production were evaluated via long-term operation of a bio-electrochemical anaerobic digestion (BEAD) reactor and an anaerobic digestion (AD) reactor. In the AD reactor, the maximum OLR was 4 kg/m3·d whereas the electro-active microbial community in bulk and on the biofilm of the BEAD reactor produced methane even at 10 kg/m3·d. The BEAD reactor rapidly removed volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and reduced H+ to H2 at high OLRs, thereby preventing VFA accumulation and pH decrease. After the steady state was achieved, both the AD and BEAD reactors exhibited similar organic matter removal and methane production at a low OLR. Thus, a BEAD reactor can stably produce methane under conditions of high OLR and severe OLR fluctuation and can even shorten the stabilization period over the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Gyu Park
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, South Korea.
| | - Beom Lee
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, South Korea.
| | - Hye-Rin Park
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, South Korea.
| | - Hang-Bae Jun
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, South Korea.
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Park J, Lee B, Shin W, Jo S, Jun H. Application of a rotating impeller anode in a bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion reactor for methane production from high-strength food waste. Bioresour Technol 2018; 259:423-432. [PMID: 29602105 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.02.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a practical bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion (BEAD) reactor equipped with a rotating STS304 impeller was tested to verify its methane production performance. Methane production in the BEAD reactor was possible without accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and decreases in pH at high organic loading rates (OLRs) up to 6 kg-COD/m3·d (COD: chemical oxygen demand). Methane production in a BEAD-O (open circuit) reactor was inhibited at OLRs above 4 kg-COD/m3·d; however, the performance could be recovered bioelectrochemically by supplying voltage. The population density of hydrogenotrophic methanogens increased to 73.3% in the BEAD-C (closed circuit) reactor, even at high OLRs, through the removal of VFAs and conversion of hydrogen to methane. The energy efficiency in the BEAD-C reactor was 85.6%, indicating that the commercialization of BEAD reactors equipped with rotating STS304 impeller electrodes is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungyu Park
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea
| | - Beom Lee
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonbeom Shin
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangyeol Jo
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea
| | - Hangbae Jun
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea.
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Yu Z, Leng X, Zhao S, Ji J, Zhou T, Khan A, Kakde A, Liu P, Li X. A review on the applications of microbial electrolysis cells in anaerobic digestion. Bioresour Technol 2018; 255:340-348. [PMID: 29444757 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been widely used for biogas or biofuel generation from waste treatment. Because a low production rate and instability of AD occur frequently, various technologies have been applied to improvement of AD. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), an emerging technology, can convert organic matter into hydrogen, methane, and other value-added products. Recent studies showed that application of MEC to AD (MEC-AD) can accelerate degradation of a substrate (including recalcitrant compounds) and alter AD microbial community by enriching exoelectrogens and methanogens thus increasing biogas production. With stable microbial communities established, improvement of MEC-AD for methane production was achieved. MEC-AD process can be monitored in real-time by detecting electric signals, which linearly correlate with substrate concentrations. This review attempts to evaluate interactions among the decomposition of substrates, MEC-AD system, and the microbial community. This analysis should provide useful insights into the improvement of methane production and the performance of MEC-AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengsheng Yu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyun Leng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Biomass-Energy Conversion, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou 014010, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai Zhao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Ji
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Tuoyu Zhou
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Aman Khan
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Apurva Kakde
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Pu Liu
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangkai Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshuinan Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China.
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Bavasso I, Montanaro D, Petrucci E; Luca Di Palma. Shortcut Biological Nitrogen Removal (SBNR) in an MFC Anode Chamber under Microaerobic Conditions: The Effect of C/N Ratio and Kinetic Study. Sustainability 2018; 10:1062. [DOI: 10.3390/su10041062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this work, the feasibility of the Shortcut Biological Nitrogen Removal (SBNR) in the anodic chamber of a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) was investigated. Thirty day experiments were carried out using synthetic wastewaters with a Total Organic Carbon vs. nitrogen ratio (TOC/N) ranging from 0.1 to 1. Ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and TOC were daily monitored. Results showed that microaerobic conditions in the anodic chamber favored the development of nitritation reaction, due to oxygen transfer from the cathodic chamber through the membrane. Nitritation was found to depend on TOC/N ratio: at TOC/N equal to 0.1 an ammonium removal efficiency of up to 76% was observed. Once the oxygen supply to the cathodic chamber was stopped, denitritation occurred, favored by an increase of the TOC/N ratio: a nitrite removal of 80.3% was achieved at TOC/N equal to 0.75. The presence of nitrogen species strongly affected the potential of the electrochemical system: in the nitritation step, the Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) decreased from 180 mV to 21 mV with the decrease of the TOC/N ratio in the investigated range. Lower OCV values were observed in the denitritation steps since the organic carbon acted as the energy source for the conversion of nitrite to nitrogen gas. A kinetic analysis was also performed. Monod and Blackman models described the ammonium and the organic carbon removal processes well during the nitritation step, respectively, while Blackman-Blackman fitted experimental results of the denitritation step better.
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Hagos K, Liu C, Lu X. Effect of endogenous hydrogen utilization on improved methane production in an integrated microbial electrolysis cell and anaerobic digestion: Employing catalyzed stainless steel mesh cathode. Chin J Chem Eng 2018; 26:574-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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22
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Liu SY, Charles W, Ho G, Cord-Ruwisch R, Cheng KY. Bioelectrochemical enhancement of anaerobic digestion: Comparing single- and two-chamber reactor configurations at thermophilic conditions. Bioresour Technol 2017; 245:1168-1175. [PMID: 28863995 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.08.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Bioelectrochemical system (BES) can act as an auxiliary technology for improving organic waste treatment and biogas production in anaerobic digestion (AD). For the first time this study directly compared the performance of a single- and a cation-exchange membrane-equipped two-chamber BES-AD systems at thermophilic conditions. The results indicated that an active glucose-fed thermophilic anaerobic sludge could readily (<3days) increase biogas production in both reactor configurations by inserting a carbon electrode poised at -0.8V (vs. Ag/AgCl). However, after a 3-week operation, the biogas production rates from the single- and two-chamber BES reactor decreased due to volatile fatty acids accumulation. Only the two-chamber configuration could enable methane enrichment (98% CH4v/v) in biogas. Overall, this study suggests that integrating bioelectrodes in-situ could not sustainably improve biogas production in a thermophilic AD reactor, and future studies should be directed towards the use of bioelectrodes for improving biogas quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Ying Liu
- School of Engineering and Information Technology, Murdoch University, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Wipa Charles
- School of Engineering and Information Technology, Murdoch University, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Goen Ho
- School of Engineering and Information Technology, Murdoch University, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Ralf Cord-Ruwisch
- School of Engineering and Information Technology, Murdoch University, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Ka Yu Cheng
- School of Engineering and Information Technology, Murdoch University, WA 6150, Australia; CSIRO Land and Water, Floreat, WA 6014, Australia.
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23
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Dai K, Wen JL, Zhang F, Ma XW, Cui XY, Zhang Q, Zhao TJ, Zeng RJ. Electricity production and microbial characterization of thermophilic microbial fuel cells. Bioresour Technol 2017; 243:512-519. [PMID: 28697453 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.06.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Thermophilic microbial fuel cell (TMFC) offers many benefits, but the investigations on the diversity of exoelectrogenic bacteria are scarce. In this study, a two-chamber TMFC was constructed using ethanol as an electron donor, and the microbial dynamics were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing and 16S rRNA clone-library sequencing. The open-circuit potential of TMFC was approximately 650mV, while the maximum voltage was around 550mV. The maximum power density was 437mW/m2, and the columbic efficiency in this work was 20.5±6.0%. The Firmicutes bacteria, related to the uncultured bacterium clone A55_D21_H_B_C01 with a similarity of 99%, accounted for 90.9% of all bacteria in the TMFC biofilm. This unknown bacterium has the potential to become a new thermophilic exoelectrogenic bacterium that is yet to be cultured. The development of TMFC-involved biotechnologies will be beneficial for the production of valuable chemicals and generation of energy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Dai
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Li Wen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xi-Wen Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang-Yu Cui
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, People's Republic of China
| | - Ting-Jia Zhao
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, People's Republic of China
| | - Raymond J Zeng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
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24
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Zhen G, Lu X, Kobayashi T, Su L, Kumar G, Bakonyi P, He Y, Sivagurunathan P, Nemestóthy N, Xu K, Zhao Y. Continuous micro-current stimulation to upgrade methanolic wastewater biodegradation and biomethane recovery in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. Chemosphere 2017; 180:229-238. [PMID: 28410503 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The dispersion of granules in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor represents a critical technical issue in methanolic wastewater treatment. In this study, the potentials of coupling a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) into an UASB reactor for improving methanolic wastewater biodegradation, long-term process stability and biomethane recovery were evaluated. The results indicated that coupling a MEC system was capable of improving the overall performance of UASB reactor for methanolic wastewater treatment. The combined system maintained the comparatively higher methane yield and COD removal efficiency over the single UASB process through the entire process, with the methane production at the steady-state conditions approaching 1504.7 ± 92.2 mL-CH4 L-1-reactor d-1, around 10.1% higher than the control UASB (i.e. 1366.4 ± 71.0 mL-CH4 L-1-reactor d-1). The further characterizations verified that the input of external power source could stimulate the metabolic activity of microbes and reinforced the EPS secretion. The produced EPS interacted with Fe2+/3+ liberated during anodic corrosion of iron electrode to create a gel-like three-dimensional [-Fe-EPS-]n matrix, which promoted cell-cell cohesion and maintained the structural integrity of granules. Further observations via SEM and FISH analysis demonstrated that the use of bioelectrochemical stimulation promoted the growth and proliferation of microorganisms, which diversified the degradation routes of methanol, convert the wasted CO2 into methane and accordingly increased the process stability and methane productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyin Zhen
- Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Rd. 500, Shanghai, 200241, PR China; Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan.
| | - Xueqin Lu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579, Japan.
| | - Takuro Kobayashi
- Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Lianghu Su
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, 210042, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Gopalakrishnan Kumar
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Daegu University, Jillyang, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Péter Bakonyi
- Research Institute on Bioengineering, Membrane Technology and Energetics, University of Pannonia, Egyetem ut 10, 8200, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Yan He
- Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Rd. 500, Shanghai, 200241, PR China
| | - Periyasamy Sivagurunathan
- Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Nándor Nemestóthy
- Research Institute on Bioengineering, Membrane Technology and Energetics, University of Pannonia, Egyetem ut 10, 8200, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Kaiqin Xu
- Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan.
| | - Youcai Zhao
- The State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China
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Hari AR, Venkidusamy K, Katuri KP, Bagchi S, Saikaly PE. Temporal Microbial Community Dynamics in Microbial Electrolysis Cells - Influence of Acetate and Propionate Concentration. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1371. [PMID: 28775719 PMCID: PMC5517442 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are widely considered as a next generation wastewater treatment system. However, fundamental insight on the temporal dynamics of microbial communities associated with MEC performance under different organic types with varied loading concentrations is still unknown, nevertheless this knowledge is essential for optimizing this technology for real-scale applications. Here, the temporal dynamics of anodic microbial communities associated with MEC performance was examined at low (0.5 g COD/L) and high (4 g COD/L) concentrations of acetate or propionate, which are important intermediates of fermentation of municipal wastewaters and sludge. The results showed that acetate-fed reactors exhibited higher performance in terms of maximum current density (I: 4.25 ± 0.23 A/m2), coulombic efficiency (CE: 95 ± 8%), and substrate degradation rate (98.8 ± 1.2%) than propionate-fed reactors (I: 2.7 ± 0.28 A/m2; CE: 68 ± 9.5%; substrate degradation rate: 84 ± 13%) irrespective of the concentrations tested. Despite of the repeated sampling of the anodic biofilm over time, the high-concentration reactors demonstrated lower and stable performance in terms of current density (I: 1.1 ± 0.14 to 4.2 ± 0.21 A/m2), coulombic efficiency (CE: 44 ± 4.1 to 103 ± 7.2%) and substrate degradation rate (64.9 ± 6.3 to 99.7 ± 0.5%), while the low-concentration reactors produced higher and dynamic performance (I: 1.1 ± 0.12 to 4.6 ± 0.1 A/m2; CE: 52 ± 2.5 to 105 ± 2.7%; substrate degradation rate: 87.2 ± 0.2 to 99.9 ± 0.06%) with the different substrates tested. Correlating reactor's performance with temporal dynamics of microbial communities showed that relatively similar anodic microbial community composition but with varying relative abundances was observed in all the reactors despite differences in the substrate and concentrations tested. Particularly, Geobacter was the predominant bacteria on the anode biofilm of all MECs over time suggesting its possible role in maintaining functional stability of MECs fed with low and high concentrations of acetate and propionate. Taken together, these results provide new insights on the microbial community dynamics and its correlation to performance in MECs fed with different concentrations of acetate and propionate, which are important volatile fatty acids in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda Rao Hari
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Krishnaveni Venkidusamy
- Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson LakesSA, Australia
| | - Krishna P Katuri
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Samik Bagchi
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas, LawrenceKS, United States
| | - Pascal E Saikaly
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwal, Saudi Arabia
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Blasco-Gómez R, Batlle-Vilanova P, Villano M, Balaguer MD, Colprim J, Puig S. On the Edge of Research and Technological Application: A Critical Review of Electromethanogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:E874. [PMID: 28425974 PMCID: PMC5412455 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18040874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The conversion of electrical current into methane (electromethanogenesis) by microbes represents one of the most promising applications of bioelectrochemical systems (BES). Electromethanogenesis provides a novel approach to waste treatment, carbon dioxide fixation and renewable energy storage into a chemically stable compound, such as methane. This has become an important area of research since it was first described, attracting different research groups worldwide. Basics of the process such as microorganisms involved and main reactions are now much better understood, and recent advances in BES configuration and electrode materials in lab-scale enhance the interest in this technology. However, there are still some gaps that need to be filled to move towards its application. Side reactions or scaling-up issues are clearly among the main challenges that need to be overcome to its further development. This review summarizes the recent advances made in the field of electromethanogenesis to address the main future challenges and opportunities of this novel process. In addition, the present fundamental knowledge is critically reviewed and some insights are provided to identify potential niche applications and help researchers to overcome current technological boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramiro Blasco-Gómez
- Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
| | - Pau Batlle-Vilanova
- Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
- Department of Innovation and Technology, FCC Aqualia, Balmes Street, 36, 6th Floor, 08007 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Marianna Villano
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Maria Dolors Balaguer
- Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
| | - Jesús Colprim
- Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
| | - Sebastià Puig
- Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
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Hari AR, Katuri KP, Logan BE, Saikaly PE. Set anode potentials affect the electron fluxes and microbial community structure in propionate-fed microbial electrolysis cells. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38690. [PMID: 27934925 DOI: 10.1038/srep38690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Anode potential has been shown to be a critical factor in the rate of acetate removal in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), but studies with fermentable substrates and set potentials are lacking. Here, we examined the impact of three different set anode potentials (SAPs; −0.25, 0, and 0.25 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode) on the electrochemical performance, electron flux to various sinks, and anodic microbial community structure in two-chambered MECs fed with propionate. Electrical current (49–71%) and CH4 (22.9–41%) were the largest electron sinks regardless of the potentials tested. Among the three SAPs tested, 0 V showed the highest electron flux to electrical current (71 ± 5%) and the lowest flux to CH4 (22.9 ± 1.2%). In contrast, the SAP of −0.25 V had the lowest electron flux to current (49 ± 6%) and the highest flux to CH4 (41.1 ± 2%). The most dominant genera detected on the anode of all three SAPs based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing were Geobacter, Smithella and Syntrophobacter, but their relative abundance varied among the tested SAPs. Microbial community analysis implies that complete degradation of propionate in all the tested SAPs was facilitated by syntrophic interactions between fermenters and Geobacter at the anode and ferementers and hydrogenotrophic methanogens in suspension.
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Li Y, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Zhao Z, Zhao Z, Liu S, Zhao H, Quan X. Enhancement of anaerobic methanogenesis at a short hydraulic retention time via bioelectrochemical enrichment of hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Bioresour Technol 2016; 218:505-511. [PMID: 27394997 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.06.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an important energy strategy for converting organic waste to CH4. A major factor limiting the practical applicability of AD is the relatively long hydraulic retention time (HRT) which declines the treatment efficiency of digesters. A coupling process of anaerobic digestion and 'electromethanogenesis' was proposed to enhance anaerobic digestion at a short HRT in this study. Microorganisms analysis indicated that the electric-biological reactor enriched hydrogenotrophic methanogens in both cathodic biofilm and suspended sludge, helping achieve the high organic removal (71.0% vs 42.3% [control reactor]) and CH4 production (248.5mL/h vs 51.3mL/h), while the additional electric input was only accounted for 25.6% of the energy income from the increased CH4 production. This study demonstrated that a bioelectrochemical enhanced anaerobic reactor could improve the CH4 production and organic removal at a short HRT, providing an economically feasible scheme to treat wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Yaobin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China.
| | - Yiwen Liu
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Zhiqiang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Zisheng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Sitong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Xie Quan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
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Cai W, Liu W, Cui D, Wang A. Hydrogen production from buffer-free anaerobic fermentation liquid of waste activated sludge using microbial electrolysis system. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra05037a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaerobic fermentation liquid from waste activated sludge with a rich content of organics and phosphate ions is a promising source of carbon and electrolytes for MECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environments
- Harbin Institute of Technology
- Harbin 150090
- China
| | - Wenzong Liu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing 100085
- PR China
| | - Dan Cui
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing 100085
- PR China
| | - Aijie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environments
- Harbin Institute of Technology
- Harbin 150090
- China
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
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