Microbial fuel cell performance for aromatic hydrocarbon bioremediation and common effluent treatment plant wastewater treatment with bioelectricity generation through series‐parallel connection

• Published in: Letters in applied microbiology Vol. 75; no. 4; pp. 785 - 795
• Main Authors: Mukherjee, A., Patel, R., Zaveri, P., Shah, M.T., Munshi, N.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.10.2022
• Subjects: Anolytes; Aromatic hydrocarbons; Benzoic acid; Biochemical fuel cells; Bioelectricity; Biofilms; Bioremediation; Cell surface; CETP wastewater; COD reduction; Consortia; E coli; Effluent treatment; Effluents; Electrodes; electrogenic bacteria; Fuel cells; Fuel technology; Hydrocarbons; Industrial wastes; Industrial wastewater; mediator‐less microbial fuel cell; Microorganisms; New technology; Reduction; series‐parallel connection; Sodium benzoate; voltage output; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0266-8254; 1472-765X
• DOI: 10.1111/lam.13612

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an emerging technology which has been immensely investigated for wastewater treatment along with electricity generation. In the present study, the treatment efficiency of MFC was investigated for hydrocarbon containing wastewater by optimizing various parameters of MFC. Mediator‐less MFC (1·2 l) was constructed, and its performance was compared with mediated MFC with Escherichia coli as a biocatalyst. MFC with electrode having biofilm proved to be better compared with MFC inoculated with suspended cells. Analysis of increasing surface area of electrode by increasing their numbers indicated increase in COD reduction from 55 to 75%. Catholyte volume was optimized to be 750 ml. Sodium benzoate (0·721 g l–1) and actual common effluent treatment plant (CETP) wastewater as anolyte produced 0·8 and 0·6 V voltage and 89 and 50% COD reduction, respectively, when a novel consortium of four bacterial strains were used. Twenty MFC systems with the developed consortium when electrically connected in series‐parallel connection were able to generate 2·3 V and 0·5 mA current. This is the first report demonstrating the application of CETP wastewater in the MFC system, which shows potential of the system towards degradation of complex organic components present in industrial wastewater. Significance and Impact of the Study: Wastewater treatment by conventional method is a cost consuming process associated with disposal problem for a large amount of sludge generated. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) can play a dual role of treating wastewater and generating green electricity. In our study we have focused on optimization of various parameters required to obtain maximum voltage output and BOD‐COD reduction. The use of biofilm containing electrodes in multiple MFCs in series‐parallel connection demonstrated good amount of voltage generation. The developed system was capable to treat actual wastewater and further scale up has the potential to generate required amount of sustainable electricity.