Bio-electrochemical post-treatment of anaerobically treated landfill leachate.

Bio-electrochemical treatment of anaerobically pre-treated landfill leachate was investigated in batch and continuous-flow two-chambered microbial fuel cells (MFCs). A high strength young landfill leachate was pre-treated using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor and the effluent resembling medium-aged landfill leachate was fed to the anode chamber of MFCs. The highest maximum current and power densities achieved in continuous-flow MFC with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of five days were 525 mA/m(2) (8227 mA/m(3)) and 158 mW/m(2) (2482 mW/m(3)), respectively. Increase of HRT from one day to five days resulted in the occurrence of partial nitrification, where influent ammonia was converted into nitrite presumably due to the inhibitory effects of free ammonia. The maximum power and current densities obtained in this study were higher compared to other studies with similar leachate characteristics. The results of this study suggest that MFCs can be exploited as a polishing step for anaerobically pretreated landfill leachate.

Continuous flow membrane-less air cathode microbial fuel cell with spunbonded olefin diffusion layer.

The power production performance of a membrane-less air-cathode microbial fuel cell was evaluated for 53 days. Anode and cathode electrodes and the micro-fiber cloth separator were configured by sandwiching the separator between two electrodes. In addition, the air-facing side of the cathode was covered with a spunbonded olefin sheet instead of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating to control oxygen diffusion and water loss. The configuration resulted in a low resistance of about 4Ω and a maximum power density of 750 mW/m2. However, as a result of a gradual decrease in the cathode potential, maximum power density decreased to 280 mW/m2. The declining power output was attributed to loss of platinum catalyst (8.26%) and biomass growth (38.44%) on the cathode. Coulombic efficiencies over 55% and no water leakage showed that the spunbonded olefin sheet covering the air-facing side of the cathode can be a cost-effective alternative to PTFE coating.