ABSTRACT
The reliability of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) system was tested on an industrial scale by operating a 1,000-L single-chamber system under real conditions at a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) over a 6-month period. Submergible multi-electrode modules with large-scale grid-segmented gas diffusion cathodes with activated carbon as a catalyst were used. Maximum power densities normalised to the cathode area were above 100 mW m-2Cat. Fluctuating chemical and physical wastewater characteristics of the influent had reversible effects on MFC performance in terms of energetic efficiency. Thereby, the composition of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractions changes only insignificantly and the concentration of readily biodegradable (SS) required for the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process or upstream denitrification was reduced by 41 ± 10 mg L-1 (37 ± 2% of inflow SS).
Subject(s)
Bioelectric Energy Sources , Water Purification , Reproducibility of Results , Electricity , ElectrodesABSTRACT
The most widely used methods for sludge blanket measurements are based on acoustic or optic principles. In operation, both methods are expensive and often maintenance-intensive. Therefore a novel, reliable and simple method for sludge blanket measurement is proposed. It is based on the differential pressure measurement in the sludge zone compared with the differential pressure in the clear water zone, so that it is possible to measure the upper and the lower sludge level in a tank. Full-scale tests of this method were done in the secondary clarifier at the waste water treatment plant in Hecklingen, Germany. The result shows a good approximation of the manually measured sludge level.
