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1.
Heliyon ; 9(10): e20629, 2023 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37860540

ABSTRACT

This report describes the direct electrolysis of treated wastewater (as a catholyte) to produce hydrogen and potentially reuse the water. To suppress the negative shift of the cathodic potential due to an increase in pH by the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the treated wastewater is acidified using the synergetic effect of protons generated from the bipolar membrane and inorganic precipitation occurred at the surface of the cathode during the HER. Natural seawater, as an accessible source for Mg2+ ions, was added to the treated wastewater because the concentration of Mg2+ ions contained in the original wastewater was too low for acidification to occur. The mixture of treated wastewater with seawater was acidified to pH 3, allowing the initial cathode potential to be maintained for more than 100 h. The amount of inorganic precipitates formed on the cathode surface is greater than that in the control case (adding 0.5 M NaCl instead of seawater) but does not adversely affect the cathodic potential and Faradaic efficiency for H2 production. Additionally, it was confirmed that less organic matter was adsorbed to the inorganic deposits under acidic conditions. These indicate that acidification plays an important role in improving the performance and stability of low-grade water electrolysis. Considering that the treated wastewater is discharged near the ocean, acidification-based electrolysis of the effluent with seawater can be a water reuse technology for green hydrogen production, enhancing water resilience and contributing to the circular economy of water resources.

2.
Water Res ; 246: 120683, 2023 Nov 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37801985

ABSTRACT

Recycling and reusing of nutrient media in microalgal cultivation are important strategies to reduce water consumption and nutrient costs. However, these approaches have limitations, e.g., a decrease in biomass production, (because as reused media can inhibit biomass growth). To address these limitations, we applied a novel membrane filtration‒electrolysis‒ultraviolet hybrid water treatment method capable of laboratory-to-large-scale operation to increase biomass productivity and enable nutrient medium disinfection and recycling. In laboratory-scale experiments, electrolysis effectively remove the biological contaminants from the spent nutrient medium, resulting in a high on-site removal efficiency of dissolved organic carbon (DOC; 80.3 ± 5 %) and disinfection (99.5 ± 0.2 %). Compared to the results for the recycling of nutrient medium without water treatment, electrolysis resulted in a 1.5-fold increase in biomass production, which was attributable to the removal of biological inhibitors from electrochemically produced oxidants (mainly OCl-). In scaled-up applications, the hybrid system improved the quality of the recycled nutrient medium, with 85 ± 2 % turbidity removal, 75 ± 3 % DOC removal, and 99.5 ± 2 % disinfection efficiency, which was beneficial for biomass growth by removing biological inhibitors. After applying the hybrid water treatment method, we achieved a Spirulina biomass production of 0.47 ± 0.03 g L-1, similar to that obtained using a fresh medium (0.53 ± 0.02 g L-1). The on-site disinfection process described herein is practical and offers a cost-saving and environmental friendly alternative for nutrient medium recycling and reusing water in mass and sustainable cultivation of microalgae.


Subject(s)
Microalgae , Water Purification , Nutrients , Biomass , Recycling
3.
Water Res ; 220: 118681, 2022 Jul 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35689894

ABSTRACT

Seawater is a cost-effective and abundant electrolyte used as an electrode rinse solution to enable optimum utilization of reverse electrodialysis (RED). However, it is associated with several limitations, including the use of precious electrode materials, and its long-term stability must be addressed prior to its application in the field of seawater technology. In this context, a novel RED based on carbon electrodes was designed, and the experimental conditions were optimized for maximizing the harvesting of energy with aquaculture wastewater disinfection and recycling. The power obtained by RED, with a current density of 30 A/m2 and a flow rate of 424 mL/min, designed by response surface methodology, was in good agreement with the predicted maximum power density (0.64 W/m2). The treatment was sustainable, mainly due to an anodic reaction of electro-generated sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) under natural conditions, which afforded a high disinfection efficiency (above 99.5 ± 0.2% within 1 min under continuous flow (pH 8)), even under real seawater conditions and in aquaculture wastewater. Simultaneously, a stable power of 0.1 ± 0.03 W (0.25 ± 0.07 W/m2) generated a reasonable specific energy (within 0.02 kWh/m3). Inorganic fouling was efficiently suppressed using a surface-modified carbon cathode for 680 h. Thus, the on-site seawater disinfection by RED described herein is practically feasible and could offer a sustainable and energy-efficient alternative to seawater recycling.


Subject(s)
Salinity , Wastewater , Carbon , Disinfection , Electrodes , Renewable Energy , Seawater
4.
Water Res ; 200: 117255, 2021 Jul 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34062402

ABSTRACT

Despite significant advances in the field applications of reserve electrodialysis (RED) to produce salinity gradient power, net energy production remains an issue owing to limitations such as high energy requirement for high flow rates of feed solutions, and severe fouling and pressure build up when thin spacers are used. Therefore, to maximize the performance and efficiency of energy harvesting in the RED, a cascaded RED stack, with multiple stages between the anode and cathode electrodes, was investigated. In cascaded stacks, 100-cell paired stacks were divided into several stages, so the feed water flowed into the first stage, and the effluent from the first stage was then reused in the next stages. This cascaded stack could overcome the typical drawbacks of RED (large amount of feed water required, intensive pumping energy, and low net energy production). Although 25% of the feed water volume was used in the 4-stage cascaded stack (100-cell-pairs) compared to the conventional stack (100-cell-pairs with a parallel flow operation), much more energy was produced with the 4-stage cascaded stack. The net power density and net specific energy with the 4-stage cascaded stack were the highest at 0.5 cm/s (0.48 W/m2) and 0.25 cm/s (0.06 kWh/m3), respectively. This is very promising for the practical application of RED since feed water volumes can be greatly reduced, which could reduce the burden on the feed water pretreatment step. Consequently, we can build a compact RED plant with smaller pretreatment processes and fewer RED unit stacks.


Subject(s)
Electricity , Salinity , Electrodes
5.
Water Res ; 166: 115078, 2019 Dec 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31542547

ABSTRACT

When operating reverse electrodialysis (RED) with several hundreds of cell pairs, a large stack voltage of more than 10 V facilitates water electrolysis, even when redox couples are employed for the electrode reaction. Upon feeding natural water containing multivalent ions, ion crossover through a shielding membrane causes inorganic scaling around the cathode and the interior of the membrane stack, due to the combination with the hydroxide ions produced via water reduction. In this work, we introduce a bipolar membrane (BPM) as a shielding membrane at the cathode to suppress inorganic precipitation. Water splitting in the bilayer structure of the BPM can block the ions diffusing from the catholyte and the feed solution, maintaining the current density. To evaluate the effect of the BPM on the inorganic precipitates, diluted sea salt solution is allowed to flow through the outermost feed channel near the cathode, in order to maintain as large a stack voltage as possible, which is important to induce water splitting in the BPM when incorporated into an RED stack of 100 cell pairs. We measure the electric power of the RED according to the arrangement of the BPM and compare it with that of conventional RED. The degree of inorganic scaling is also compared according to the kind of shielding membrane used (anion exchange membrane, cation exchange membrane, and BPM (Neosepta or Fumasep)). The BPM (Neosepta) shows the best performance for suppressing the formation of precipitates. It can hence be used to design a highly stable electrode system for long-term operation of a large-scale RED feeding natural water.


Subject(s)
Electricity , Membranes, Artificial , Electrodes , Electrolysis , Water
6.
Water Res ; 165: 114970, 2019 Nov 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31426007

ABSTRACT

To properly design reverse electrodialysis (RED) stacks, modeling of ion transport and prediction of power generation on the single RED stack are very important. Currently, the Nernst-Planck equation is widely adopted to simulate ion transport through IEMs. However, applying typical Nernst-Planck equation is not proper to analyze ion transport through the heterogeneous thin-composite pore-filling membrane because of the non-conductive site in the membrane matrix. Herein, we firstly introduced modified Nernst-Planck equation by addressing conductive traveling length (CTL) to simulate the ion transport through the thin-composite pore-filling membranes and the performance of a single RED stack with the same membranes. Also, 100 cell-pairs of RED stacks were assembled to validate modified Nernst-Planck equation according to the flow rate and membrane types. Under the OCV condition, the conductivity of the effluents was measured to validate the modified Nernst-Planck equation, and differences between modeling and experiments were less than 1.5 mS/cm. Theoretical OCV and current density were estimated by using modified Nernst-Planck equation. In particular, hydrophobicity on the surface of the heterogeneous membrane was considered to describe ion transport through the pore-filling membranes. Moreover, power generation from RED stacks was calculated according to the flow rate and the number of cell pairs.


Subject(s)
Membranes, Artificial , Bioelectric Energy Sources , Electric Conductivity
7.
Water Res ; 159: 164-175, 2019 Aug 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31091481

ABSTRACT

Algal treatment was combined with ozone pretreatment for treatment of synthetic reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) prior to microfiltration. The research mainly focused on minimizing the fouling of polyvinylidene-fluoride membranes and maximizing the restoration of membrane permeability. The algal treatment alone was only moderately effective for the mitigation of fouling in microfiltration, while a markedly improved performance was achieved when the algal treatment followed ozonation. The combination of ozonation and algal treatment reduced membrane permeability decline and significantly (p < 0.05) increased the reversibility of fouling after hydraulic washing. A longitudinal evaluation was also performed with a goal of achieving a robust removal of contaminants. Ozonation followed by algal treatment was very effective in attenuating both caffeine and carbamazepine, as well as removing organic matter and inorganic nutrients from ROC in a single bioreactor. In this study, an alkaline condition (∼pH 12), produced by microalgae in the light without supplemental aeration was applied for in-situ cleaning of fouled membranes. The result showed that the algal-induced cleaning successfully restored the permeability of organic-fouled membranes during the filtration of both raw and algal-treated ROC. This in-situ strategy offers a novel option for periodic cleaning of fouled membranes while maintaining operational simplicity, especially for existing submerged membrane filtration facilities.


Subject(s)
Ozone , Water Purification , Filtration , Membranes, Artificial , Osmosis
8.
Environ Sci (Camb) ; 5: 1489-1498, 2019 Jun 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32607247

ABSTRACT

This article describes a proof-of-concept study designed for the reuse of wastewater using microbial electrochemical cells (MECs) combined with complementary post-treatment technologies. This study mainly focused on how the integrated approach works effectively for wastewater reuse. In this study, microalgae and ultraviolet C (UVC) light were used for advanced wastewater treatment to achieve site-specific treatment goals such as agricultural reuse and aquifer recharge. The bio-electrosynthesis of H2O2 in MECs was carried out based on a novel concept to integrate with UVC, especially for roust removal of trace organic compounds (TOrCs) resistant to biodegradation, and the algal treatment was configured for nutrient removal from MEC effluent. UVC irradiation has also proven to be an effective disinfectant for bacteria, protozoa, and viruses in water. The average energy consumption rate for MECs fed acetate-based synthetic wastewater was 0.28±0.01 kWh per kg of H2O2, which was significantly more efficient than are conventional electrochemical processes. MECs achieved 89±2% removal of carbonaceous organic matter (measured as chemical oxygen demand) in the wastewater (anolyte) and concurrent production of H2O2 up to 222±11 mg L-1 in the tapwater (catholyte). The nutrients (N and P) remaining after MECs were successfully removed by subsequent phycoremediation with microalgae when aerated (5% CO2, v/v) in the light. This complied with discharge permits that limit N to 20 mg L-1 and P to 0.5 mg L-1 in the effluent. H2O2 produced on site was used to mediate photolytic oxidation with UVC light for degradation of recalcitrant TOrCs in the algal-treated wastewater. Carbamazepine was used as a model compound and was almost completely removed with an added 10 mg L-1 of H2O2 at a UVC dose of 1000 mJ cm-2. These results should not be generalized, but critically discussed, because of the limitations of using synthetic wastewater.

9.
Water Res ; 148: 261-271, 2019 01 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30388527

ABSTRACT

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) has vast potential as a clean, nonpolluting, and sustainable renewable energy source; however, pilot-scale RED studies employing real waters remain rare. This study reports the largest RED (1000 cell pairs, 250 m2) with municipal wastewater effluent (1.3-5.7 mS/cm) and seawater (52.9-53.8 mS/cm) as feed solutions. The RED stack was operated at a velocity of 1.5 cm/s and the pilot plant produced 95.8 W of power (0.38 W/m2total membrane or 0.76 W/m2cell pair). During operation of the RED, the inlet design of the stack, comprising thin spacers, and the water dissociation reaction at the cathode were revealed as vulnerabilities of the stack. Specifically, pressure drops at the fluid inlet parts had the most detrimental effects on power output due to clogged spacers around the inlet parts. In addition, precipitates resulting in inorganic fouling were inevitable during the water dissociation reaction due to significant potential generated by the stack in the cathode chamber. Na+ and Cl- accounted for the majority of ions transferred from seawater to wastewater effluent through ion exchange membranes (IEMs). Moreover, some divalent cations in seawater, Mg2+ and Ca2+, were also transferred to the wastewater effluent. Some organics with relatively low molecular weights in the wastewater effluent passed through the IEMs, and their hydrophobic properties elevated the specific UV absorbance (SUVA) level in the seawater.


Subject(s)
Wastewater , Water Purification , Ion Exchange , Membranes, Artificial , Salinity , Seawater
10.
Chemosphere ; 209: 901-907, 2018 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30114739

ABSTRACT

Aeration-assisted non-thermal plasma (NTP) process is known as promising due to simultaneous generation of oxygen- and nitrogen-based reactive chemicals for non-biodegradable pollutants removal in a wastewater. Despite its effective oxidizing capability, the decomposition mechanism of antibiotics is not yet clarified well. This study verifies the NTP's removal potential of non-biodegradable sulfonamide antibiotics in the treatment of strong wastewater. The instantaneous production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was quantified to prove synergistic advanced oxidation, and degradation kinetic coefficients of N, N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO) reveals rapid oxidation rate of NTP. Also, the results of an acute-toxicity test using Daphnia magna demonstrate how the toxicity of antibiotics intermediates responds to the NTP. Results indicate that the NTP has better potential than conventional oxidation processes in terms of OH-radical generation due to the interplay of reactive species. This study provides useful information that aeration-assisted NTP application to wastewater treatment can be a viable option to enhance treatment efficiency via plasma-related reactive species and that how environmental ecotoxicity responds to the by-products of sulfonamide antibiotics.


Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry , Plasma Gases/chemistry , Sulfonamides/chemistry , Wastewater/chemistry , Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry , Animals , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis
11.
Water Res ; 134: 292-300, 2018 05 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29433079

ABSTRACT

This study achieves a better operational simplicity for the phycoremediation of reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate using Scenedesmus quadricauda microalgae. Under continuous illumination with CO2 supplementation, algal growth in the RO concentrate resulted in a conversion of polymeric organic matter (a mixture of humic substances and polysaccharides) to biodegradable fractions and their prompt removal along with inorganic nutrients (NO3- and PO43-). The algal-induced degradation of humic-like substances which are typically refractory to microbial decomposition was demonstrated in an indirect manner. In this study, we also investigated the effects of algal treatment on the growth of Escherichia coli and removal of trace organic compounds (TOrCs) from the RO concentrate. Our results indicate that algal treatment of the RO concentrate using aeration with 10% (v/v) CO2 under continuous illumination is highly feasible as a safe and inexpensive technology to remove non- or slowly-biodegradable organic matter, reduce enteric bacteria, and attenuate TOrCs in wastewater. However, the results should not be generalized, but critically discussed, due to limitations of using the synthetic RO concentrate in evaluating the performance of wastewater remediation with microalgae.


Subject(s)
Microalgae/growth & development , Osmosis , Scenedesmus/growth & development , Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods , Enterobacteriaceae/growth & development , Escherichia coli/growth & development , Filtration , Humic Substances , Nitrates , Organic Chemicals , Phosphates , Polysaccharides , Wastewater , Water Pollutants
12.
Phys Chem Chem Phys ; 18(34): 23469-73, 2016 Sep 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27523633

ABSTRACT

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) generates energy from salinity gradients. Reverse salt flux through a semi-permeable PRO membrane reduces the energy efficiency. We demonstrate for the first time the direct conversion of the reverse salt flux into electrochemical potential, recovering >7% positive net power using a single electrochemical PRO membrane.

13.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int ; 23(8): 7155-61, 2016 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26150291

ABSTRACT

Food waste and sewage sludge are the most abundant and problematic organic wastes in any society. Mixture of these two wastes may provide appropriate substrate condition for dark fermentative biohydrogen production based on synergistic mutual benefits. This work evaluates continuous hydrogen production from the cosubstrate of food waste and sewage sludge to verify mechanisms of performance improvement in anaerobic sequencing batch reactors. Volatile solid concentration and mixing ratio of food waste and sludge were adjusted to 5 % and 80:20, respectively. Five different hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 36, 42, 48, 72, and 108 h were tested using anaerobic sequencing batch reactors to find out optimal operating condition. Results show that the best performance was achieved at HRT 72 h, where the hydrogen yield, the hydrogen production rate, and hydrogen content were 62.0 mL H2/g VS, 1.0 L H2/L/day, and ~50 %, respectively. Sufficient solid retention time (143 h) and proper loading rate (8.2 g COD/L/day as carbohydrate) at HRT 72h led to the enhanced performance with better hydrogen production showing appropriate n-butyrate/acetate (B/A) ratio of 2.6. Analytical result of terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism revealed that specific peaks associated with Clostridium sp. and Bacillus sp. were strongly related to enhanced hydrogen production from the cosubstrate of food waste and sewage sludge.


Subject(s)
Garbage , Hydrogen/isolation & purification , Sewage/chemistry , Anaerobiosis , Bacillus/genetics , Batch Cell Culture Techniques , Biofuels/analysis , Bioreactors , Clostridium/genetics , Fermentation , Food , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Molecular Typing , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
14.
J Nanosci Nanotechnol ; 15(9): 6891-9, 2015 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26716261

ABSTRACT

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical system which converts chemical energy into electrical energy by catalytic activity of microorganisms. Electrons produced by microbial oxidation from substrates such as organic matter, complex or renewable biomass are transferred to the anode. Protons produced at the anode migrate to the cathode via the wire and combine with oxygen to form water. Therefore MFC technologies are promising approach for generating electricity or hydrogen gas and wastewater treatment. Electrode materials are one of the keys to increase the power output of MFCs. To improve the cost effective performance of MFCs, various electrodes materials, modifications and configurations have been developed. In this paper, among other recent advances of nanostructured electrodes, especially carbon based anodes, are highlighted. The properties of these electrodes, in terms of surface characteristics, conductivity, modifications, and options were reviewed. The applications, challenges and perspectives of the current MFCs electrode for future development in bio or medical field are briefly discussed.


Subject(s)
Bioelectric Energy Sources , Electrodes , Nanostructures , Nanotechnology/instrumentation , Carbon , Equipment Design
15.
Bioresour Technol ; 171: 182-6, 2014 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25194912

ABSTRACT

Cellulose fermentation wastewaters (FWWs) contain short chain volatile fatty acids and alcohols, but they also have high concentrations of proteins. Hydrogen gas production from FWW was examined using continuous flow microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), with a focus on fate of the protein. H2 production rates were 0.49±0.05 m(3)/m(3)-d for the FWW, compared to 0.63±0.02 m(3)/m(3)-d using a synthetic wastewater containing only acetate (applied potential of 0.9 V). Total organic matter removal was 76±6% for the FWW, compared to 87±5% for acetate. The MEC effluent became relatively enriched in protein (69%) compared to that in the original FWW (19%). Protein was completely removed using higher applied voltages (1.0 or 1.2 V), but current generation was erratic due to more positive anode potentials (-113±38 mV, Eap=1.2V; -338±38 mV, 1.0 V; -0.426±4 mV, 0.9V). Bacteria on the anodes with FWW were primarily Deltaproteobacteria, while Archaea were predominantly Methanobacterium.


Subject(s)
Bacteria/metabolism , Bioreactors , Electrolysis/methods , Proteolysis , Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods , Wastewater/chemistry , Bacteria/genetics , Base Sequence , Chromatography, Gas , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , DNA Primers/genetics , Fermentation , Hydrogen/isolation & purification , Molecular Sequence Data , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Wastewater/microbiology
16.
Bioresour Technol ; 140: 399-405, 2013 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23711946

ABSTRACT

Waste heat can be captured as electrical energy to drive hydrogen evolution in microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cells (MRECs) by using thermolytic solutions such as ammonium bicarbonate. To determine the optimal membrane stack configuration for efficient hydrogen production in MRECs using ammonium bicarbonate solutions, different numbers of cell pairs and stack arrangements were tested. The optimum number of cell pairs was determined to be five based on MREC performance and a desire to minimize capital costs. The stack arrangement was altered by placing an extra low concentration chamber adjacent to anode chamber to reduce ammonia crossover. This additional chamber decreased ammonia nitrogen losses into anolyte by 60%, increased the coulombic efficiency to 83%, and improved the hydrogen yield to a maximum of 3.5 mol H2/mol acetate, with an overall energy efficiency of 27%. These results improve the MREC process, making it a more efficient method for renewable hydrogen gas production.


Subject(s)
Bioelectric Energy Sources , Electrolysis , Hydrogen/metabolism , Membranes, Artificial , Temperature , Ammonia/analysis , Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis , Electricity , Electrodes , Nitrogen/analysis , Oxidation-Reduction , Solutions
17.
Appl Environ Microbiol ; 78(15): 5212-9, 2012 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22610438

ABSTRACT

Electron-accepting (electrotrophic) biocathodes were produced by first enriching graphite fiber brush electrodes as the anodes in sediment-type microbial fuel cells (sMFCs) using two different marine sediments and then electrically inverting the anodes to function as cathodes in two-chamber bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Electron consumption occurred at set potentials of -439 mV and -539 mV (versus the potential of a standard hydrogen electrode) but not at -339 mV in minimal media lacking organic sources of energy. Results at these different potentials were consistent with separate linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) scans that indicated enhanced activity (current consumption) below only ca. -400 mV. MFC bioanodes not originally acclimated at a set potential produced electron-accepting (electrotrophic) biocathodes, but bioanodes operated at a set potential (+11 mV) did not. CO(2) was removed from cathode headspace, indicating that the electrotrophic biocathodes were autotrophic. Hydrogen gas generation, followed by loss of hydrogen gas and methane production in one sample, suggested hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. There was abundant microbial growth in the biocathode chamber, as evidenced by an increase in turbidity and the presence of microorganisms on the cathode surface. Clone library analysis of 16S rRNA genes indicated prominent sequences most similar to those of Eubacterium limosum (Butyribacterium methylotrophicum), Desulfovibrio sp. A2, Rhodococcus opacus, and Gemmata obscuriglobus. Transfer of the suspension to sterile cathodes made of graphite plates, carbon rods, or carbon brushes in new BESs resulted in enhanced current after 4 days, demonstrating growth by these microbial communities on a variety of cathode substrates. This report provides a simple and effective method for enriching autotrophic electrotrophs by the use of sMFCs without the need for set potentials, followed by the use of potentials more negative than -400 mV.


Subject(s)
Bacteria/metabolism , Bioelectric Energy Sources/microbiology , Electrodes/microbiology , Electrolysis/methods , Geologic Sediments/chemistry , Bacteria/genetics , Biofilms , Chromatography, Gas , Electrophoresis , Geologic Sediments/microbiology , Hydrogen/metabolism , Maryland , Methane/metabolism , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics
18.
Environ Sci Technol ; 46(9): 5240-6, 2012 May 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22463373

ABSTRACT

Hydrogen gas can be electrochemically produced in microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cells (MRECs) using current derived from organic matter and salinity-gradient energy such as river water and seawater solutions. Here, it is shown that ammonium bicarbonate salts, which can be regenerated using low-temperature waste heat, can also produce sufficient voltage for hydrogen gas generation in an MREC. The maximum hydrogen production rate was 1.6 m(3) H(2)/m(3)·d, with a hydrogen yield of 3.4 mol H(2)/mol acetate at a salinity ratio of infinite. Energy recovery was 10% based on total energy applied with an energy efficiency of 22% based on the consumed energy in the reactor. The cathode overpotential was dependent on the catholyte (sodium bicarbonate) concentration, but not the salinity ratio, indicating high catholyte conductivity was essential for maximizing hydrogen production rates. The direction of the HC and LC flows (co- or counter-current) did not affect performance in terms of hydrogen gas volume, production rates, or stack voltages. These results show that the MREC can be successfully operated using ammonium bicarbonate salts that can be regenerated using conventional distillation technologies and waste heat making the MREC a useful method for hydrogen gas production from wastes.


Subject(s)
Bicarbonates/chemistry , Bioelectric Energy Sources , Hydrogen/chemistry , Salinity , Sodium Bicarbonate/chemistry
19.
Bioresour Technol ; 110: 130-4, 2012 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22342040

ABSTRACT

Extracellular enzymes offer active catalysis for hydrolysis of organic solid wastes in anaerobic digestion. To evidence the quantitative significance of hydrolytic enzyme activities for major waste components, track studies of thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic sequencing-batch reactors (TASBR and MASBR) were conducted using a co-substrate of real organic wastes. During 1day batch cycle, TASBR showed higher amylase activity for carbohydrate (46%), protease activity for proteins (270%), and lipase activity for lipids (19%) than MASBR. In particular, the track study of protease identified that thermophilic anaerobes degraded protein polymers much more rapidly. Results revealed that differences in enzyme activities eventually affected acidogenic and methanogenic performances. It was demonstrated that the superior nature of enzymatic capability at thermophilic condition led to successive high-rate acidogenesis and 32% higher CH(4) recovery. Consequently, these results evidence that the coupling thermophilic digestion with sequencing-batch operation is a viable option to promote enzymatic hydrolysis of organic particulates.


Subject(s)
Lipase/chemistry , Peptide Hydrolases/chemistry , Refuse Disposal , alpha-Amylases/chemistry , Anaerobiosis , Hydrolysis
20.
Bioresour Technol ; 102(15): 7272-9, 2011 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21600764

ABSTRACT

Assessing contemporary anaerobic biotechnologies requires proofs on reliable performance in terms of renewable bioenergy recovery such as methane (CH(4)) production rate, CH(4) yield while removing volatile solid (VS) effectively. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate temperature-phased anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (TPASBR) system that is a promising approach for the sustainable treatment of organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW). TPASBR system is compared with a conventional system, mesophilic two-stage anaerobic sequencing batch reactor system, which differs in operating temperature of 1st-stage. Results demonstrate that TPASBR system can obtain 44% VS removal from co-substrate of sewage sludge and food waste while producing 1.2m(3)CH(4)/m(3)(system)/d (0.2m(3)CH(4)/kgVS(added)) at organic loading rate of 6.1gVS/L/d through the synergy of sequencing-batch operation, co-digestion, and temperature-phasing. Consequently, the rapid and balanced anaerobic metabolism at thermophilic stage makes TPASBR system to afford high organic loading rate showing superior performance on OFMSW stabilization.


Subject(s)
Bioreactors/microbiology , Biotechnology/instrumentation , Biotechnology/methods , Food , Sewage/microbiology , Temperature , Waste Products/analysis , Anaerobiosis , Biodegradation, Environmental , Methane/biosynthesis , Nitrogen/analysis , Quaternary Ammonium Compounds/analysis , Volatilization , Waste Disposal, Fluid
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