Performance optimization and microbial community evaluation for domestic wastewater treatment in a constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell.

Constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell system (CW-MFC), an attractive technology still under study, has shown to improve domestic wastewater treatment efficiency and generate bioelectricity. This work investigated the effect of multiple factors on the performance optimization for the pollutants removal and bioelectricity production compared to a traditional CW, including influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and external resistance. The results showed that the optimal operating conditions of COD concentration, HRT and external resistance for CW-MFC were 200 mg/L, 24 h and 1000 Ω, respectively. The average COD, NH4+-N, NO3--N and TP removal efficiencies were 6.06%, 3.85%, 3.68% and 3.68% higher than these in CW system, respectively. Meanwhile, the maximum output voltage and power density of CW-MFC were 388 ± 12 mV and 107.54 mW/m3. In addition, the microbial community analysis indicated that the pollution removal and bioelectricity generation might benefit from the gradual enrichment of electroactive bacteria (Tolumonas) and denitrifying bacteria (Denitratisoma, Methylotenera and Sulfuritales). The findings can provide the optimum operation parameters and mechanism insight for the performance of CW-MFC systems.

Mixed-culture biocathodes for acetate production from CO2 reduction in the microbial electrosynthesis: Impact of temperature.

The temperature effect on bioelectrochemical reduction of CO2 to acetate with a mixed-culture biocathode in the microbial electrosynthesis was explored. The results showed that maximum acetate amount of 525.84 ± 1.55 mg L-1 and fastest acetate formation of 49.21 ± 0.49 mg L-1 d-1 were obtained under mesophilic conditions. Electron recovery efficiency for CO2 reduction to acetate ranged from 14.50 ± 2.20% to 64.86 ± 2.20%, due to propionate, butyrate and H2 generation. Mesophilic conditions were demonstrated to be more favorable for biofilm formation on the cathode, resulting in a stable and dense biofilm. At phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes phylum in the biofilm remarkably increased under mesophilic conditions, compared with that at psychrophilic and thermophilic conditions. At genus level, the Clostridium, Treponema, Acidithiobacillus, Acetobacterium and Acetoanaerobium were found to be dominated genera in the biofilm under mesophilic conditions, while genera diversity decreased under psychrophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Bioelectrochemical decolorization of a reactive diazo dye: Kinetics, optimization with a response surface methodology, and proposed degradation pathway.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have shown great potential for azo dye removal. However, comprehensive evaluation of the bioelectrochemical decolorization performance for reactive diazo dyes remains limited, particularly the kinetics and operation parameter optimization. This study evaluated the decolorization of the diazo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB5) in BESs, particularly with regard to kinetics, parameter optimization using response surface methodology (RSM), and the degradation pathway. The results indicated that the pseudo-first-order kinetic rate constant of RB5 decolorization increased from 0.023 ±â€¯0.001 to 0.146 ±â€¯0.008 h-1 with a decrease in cathode potential from -400 mV to -500 mV. RSM optimization suggested that the linear effects of RB5 concentration, cathode potential and hydraulic retention time (HRT), interaction of RB5 concentration with cathodic HRT, and the quadratic effect of cathodic HRT were most influential on the bioelectrochemical decolorization of RB5. Further, the decolorized RB5 products in the BESs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry. From this, a potential decolorization mechanism is proposed based on cleavage of azo bonds.

Effect of surface modification on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) catalyzed nitrobenzene reduction by sulfide.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) could be directly used as metal-free catalysts for the reduction of nitroaromatics by sulfide in water, but their catalytic ability need a further improvement. This study evaluated the feasibility of surface modification through thermal and radiation pretreatments to enhance catalytic activity of CNTs on nitrobenzene reduction by sulfide. The results show that thermal treatment could effectively improve the catalytic behaviors of CNTs for the reduction of nitrobenzene by sulfide, where the optimum annealing temperature was 400 °C. However, plasma radiation pretreatment didn't result in an obvious improvement of the CNTs catalytic activity. Moreover, the possible reasons have been explored and discussed in the study. Additionally, the impacts of various operational parameters on nitrobenzene reduction catalyzed by the CNTs after an optimized surface modification were also evaluated. It was found that the rate of nitrobenzene removal by sulfide was positively correlated with CNTs doses in a range of 0.3-300 mg L-1; the optimum pH was around 8.0; higher temperature and sulfide concentration facilitated the reaction; and the presence of humic acid exhibited a negative effect on nitrobenzene reduction.

A modified two-point titration method for the determination of volatile fatty acids in anaerobic systems.

The volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration plays important roles in the rapid start-up and stable operation of anaerobic reactors. It's essential to develop a simple and accurate method to monitor the VFA concentration in the anaerobic systems. In present work, a modified two-point titration method was developed to determine the VFA concentration. The results show that VFA concentration in standard solutions estimated by the titration method coincided well with that measured by gas chromatograph, where all relative errors were lower than 5.5%. Compared with the phosphate, ammonium and sulfide subsystems, the effect of bicarbonate on the accuracy of the developed method was relatively significant. When the bicarbonate concentration varied from 0 to 8 mmol/L, the relative errors increased from 1.2% to 30% for VFA concentration at 1 mmol/L, but were within 2.0% for that at 5 mmol/L. In addition, the VFA composition affected the accuracy of the titration method to some extent. This developed titration method was further proved to be effective with practical effluents from a lab-scale anaerobic reactor under organic shock loadings and an unstable full-scale anaerobic reactor.

Temperature dependence of bioelectrochemical CO2 conversion and methane production with a mixed-culture biocathode.

This study evaluated the effect of temperature on methane production by CO2 reduction during microbial electrosynthesis (MES) with a mixed-culture biocathode. Reactor performance, in terms of the amount and rate of methane production, current density, and coulombic efficiency, was compared at different temperatures. The microbial properties of the biocathode at each temperature were also analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the optimum temperature for methane production from CO2 reduction in MES with a mixed-culture cathode was 50°C, with the highest amount and rate of methane production of 2.06±0.13mmol and 0.094±0.01mmolh-1, respectively. In the mixed-culture biocathode MES, the coulombic efficiency of methane formation was within a range of 19.15±2.31% to 73.94±2.18% due to by-product formation at the cathode, including volatile fatty acids and hydrogen. Microbial analysis demonstrated that temperature had an impact on the diversity of microbial communities in the biofilm that formed on the MES cathode. Specifically, the hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanobacterium became the predominant archaea for methane production from CO2 reduction, while the abundance of the aceticlastic methanogen Methanosaeta decreased with increased temperature.

Impact of zero-valent iron nanoparticles on the activity of anaerobic granular sludge: From macroscopic to microcosmic investigation.

The study aimed at evaluating the influence of nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) on the activity of anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) from both macroscopic and microcosmic aspects using different methodologies. The tolerance response of AGS to nZVI was firstly investigated using short-term and long-term experiments, and also compared with anaerobic flocs. The Fe fate and distribution, the change of contents/structure of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and the variation of microbial community in the AGS after exposure to nZVI were further explored. Contrary to the anaerobic floc, insignificant inhibition of nZVI at dosage lower than 30 mmoL/L on the activity of AGS was observed. Additionally, the extra hydrogen gas released from the oxidation of nZVI was presumably suggested to stimulate the hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis process, resulting in 30% methane production enhancement when exposure to 30 mmoL/L nZVI. The microscopic analysis indicated that nZVI particles were mainly adsorbed on the surface of AGS in the form of iron oxides aggregation without entering into the interior of the granule, protecting most cells from contact damage. Moreover, surrounded EPS located outer surface of anaerobic granule could react with nZVI to accelerate the corrosion of nZVI and slow down H2 release from nZVI dissolution, thus further weakening the toxicity of nZVI to anaerobic microorganisms. The decrease in bacteria involved in glucose degradation and aceticlastic methanogens as well as the increase of hydrogenotrophic methanogens indicated a H2 mediated shift toward the hydrogenotrophic pathway enhancing the CH4 production.

Facilitated biological reduction of nitroaromatic compounds by reduced graphene oxide and the role of its surface characteristics.

How reduced graphene oxide (RGO) mediates the reductive transformation of nitroaromatic pollutants by mixed cultures and the role of its surface characteristics were evaluated in this study. Different electron donors were applied to investigate the interaction between RGO and anaerobic microbes. Moreover, the influence of the surface properties of RGO on biological nitroaromatic removal was further elucidated. The results show that RGO could achieve an approximate one-fold rate increase of nitrobenzene reduction by mixed culture with glucose as an electron donor. Selective elimination of oxygen moieties on the RGO surface, such as quinone groups, decreased the nitrobenzene transformation rate, whereas doping nitrogen into the RGO framework exhibited a positive effect. The study indicates that graphene-based carbon nanomaterials have the potential to accelerate the biological transformation of nitroaromatic compounds and that the functionalization of these carbon nanomaterials, especially through surface modification, would further enhance the conversion efficiency of contaminants.

Process and kinetics of azo dye decolourization in bioelectrochemical systems: effect of several key factors.

This study explored the influence of several key factors on the process and kinetics of azo dye decolourization in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), including cathode potential, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of catholyte and biofilm formed on the cathode. The results show that azo dye methyl orange (MO) decolourization in the BES could be well described with the pseudo first-order kinetics. The MO decolourization efficiency increased from 0 to 94.90 ± 0.01% and correspondingly the reaction rate constant increased from 0 to 0.503 ± 0.001 h(-1) with the decrease in cathodic electrode potential from -0.2 to -0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl. On the contrary, DO concentration of the catholyte had a negative impact on MO decolourization in the BES. When DO concentration increased from zero to 5.80 mg L(-1), the MO decolourization efficiency decreased from 87.19 ± 4.73% to 27.77 ± 0.06% and correspondingly the reaction rate constant reduced from 0.207 ± 0.042 to 0.033 ± 0.007 h(-1). Additionally, the results suggest that the biofilm formed on the cathode could led to an adverse rather than a positive effect on azo dye decolourization in the BES in terms of efficiency and kinetics.

Enhancement of azo dye decolourization in a MFC-MEC coupled system.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have shown the potential for azo dye decolourization. In this study, a MFC-MEC (microbial electrolysis cell) coupled system was established in order to enhance azo dye decolourization, and the influence of several key factors on reactor performance was evaluated. Moreover, a theoretical analysis was conducted to find the essential preconditions for successfully develop this MFC-MEC coupled system. The results indicate that the decolourization rate in the coupled system had a 36.52-75.28% improvement compared to the single MFC. Anodic acetate concentration of both the MFC and the MEC showed a positive effect on azo dye decolourization, while the cathodic pH of both MEC and MFC in the range of 7.0-10.3 had an insignificant impact on reactor performance in the coupled system. The theoretical analysis reveals that the MFC should have higher short-circuit electricity generation than the MEC before connecting together for a successful coupled system.

Hydrodynamics of an electrochemical membrane bioreactor.

An electrochemical membrane bioreactor (EMBR) has recently been developed for energy recovery and wastewater treatment. The hydrodynamics of the EMBR would significantly affect the mass transfers and reaction kinetics, exerting a pronounced effect on reactor performance. However, only scarce information is available to date. In this study, the hydrodynamic characteristics of the EMBR were investigated through various approaches. Tracer tests were adopted to generate residence time distribution curves at various hydraulic residence times, and three hydraulic models were developed to simulate the results of tracer studies. In addition, the detailed flow patterns of the EMBR were acquired from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Compared to the tank-in-series and axial dispersion ones, the Martin model could describe hydraulic performance of the EBMR better. CFD simulation results clearly indicated the existence of a preferential or circuitous flow in the EMBR. Moreover, the possible locations of dead zones in the EMBR were visualized through the CFD simulation. Based on these results, the relationship between the reactor performance and the hydrodynamics of EMBR was further elucidated relative to the current generation. The results of this study would benefit the design, operation and optimization of the EMBR for simultaneous energy recovery and wastewater treatment.

Electron acceptors for energy generation in microbial fuel cells fed with wastewaters: A mini-review.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have gained tremendous global interest over the last decades as a device that uses bacteria to oxidize organic and inorganic matters in the anode with bioelectricity generation and even for purpose of bioremediation. However, this prospective technology has not yet been carried out in field in particular because of its low power yields and target compounds removal which can be largely influenced by electron acceptors contributing to overcome the potential losses existing on the cathode. This mini review summarizes various electron acceptors used in recent years in the categories of inorganic and organic compounds, identifies their merits and drawbacks, and compares their influences on performance of MFCs, as well as briefly discusses possible future research directions particularly from cathode aspect.

The maximum specific hydrogen-producing activity of anaerobic mixed cultures: definition and determination.

Fermentative hydrogen production from wastes has many advantages compared to various chemical methods. Methodology for characterizing the hydrogen-producing activity of anaerobic mixed cultures is essential for monitoring reactor operation in fermentative hydrogen production, however there is lack of such kind of standardized methodologies. In the present study, a new index, i.e., the maximum specific hydrogen-producing activity (SHAm) of anaerobic mixed cultures, was proposed, and consequently a reliable and simple method, named SHAm test, was developed to determine it. Furthermore, the influences of various parameters on the SHAm value determination of anaerobic mixed cultures were evaluated. Additionally, this SHAm assay was tested for different types of substrates and bacterial inocula. Our results demonstrate that this novel SHAm assay was a rapid, accurate and simple methodology for determining the hydrogen-producing activity of anaerobic mixed cultures. Thus, application of this approach is beneficial to establishing a stable anaerobic hydrogen-producing system.