Domestic wastewater treatment towards reuse by "self-supplied" microbial electrochemical system assisted UV/HO process.

Domestic wastewater is a potential source of water for non-potable reuse that may help address the global water, energy, and resource challenges. Herein, a "self-supplied" process through integrating microbial electrochemical system (MES) with UV/HO was developed and investigated for wastewater treatment. HO was "self-supplied" from MES while the MES catholyte was "self-supplied" from the final effluent of UV/HO.

Formation of oxidation byproducts during electrochemical treatment of simulated produced water.

Electrochemical oxidation (EO) can effectively remove recalcitrant organic contaminants from produced water (PW) but the formation of toxic oxidation byproducts (OBPs) is an unintended consequence. This study has rigorously investigated the OBPs formation during the EO treatment of a simulated PW containing phenol - a common organic contaminant existing in PW, as a model contaminant. In the absence of ammonia, free chlorine was generated from Cl oxidation to serve as the main oxidant for phenol oxidation.

Removal of disinfection byproducts through integrated adsorption and reductive degradation in a membrane-less electrochemical system.

Proper control/removal of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) is important to drinking water safety and human health. In this study, a membrane-less electrochemical system was developed and investigated to remove DPBs through integrated adsorption and reduction by granular activated carbon (GAC)-based cathode. Representative DPBs including trihalomethanes and haloacetonitriles at drinking water concentrations were used for removal experiments.

Degradation of 4-chlorophenol through cooperative reductive and oxidative processes in an electrochemical system.

Electrochemical treatment can be an effective approach for degrading recalcitrant organic contaminants because its anode/cathode produces powerful oxidizing/reducing conditions. Herein, through the cooperation of the cathodic reductive and anodic oxidative processes, 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was successfully degraded in an electrochemical system. TiO nanotube arrays (TNTAs)/Sb-SnO and TNTAs/Pd were successfully prepared and served as the anode and cathode electrodes, respectively, to generate oxidative (hydroxyl radical, ·OH) and reductive (chemically adsorbed hydrogen, H) agents.

Enhanced bioelectrochemical treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater with Labaneh whey as co-substrate.

Petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) that contains recalcitrant components as the major portion of constituents is difficult to treat by conventional biological processes. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) which also produce renewable energy were found to be promising for the treatment of PRW. However, due to the high total dissolved solids and low organic matter content, the efficiency of the process is limited.

Sewage enhanced bioelectrochemical degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in soil environment through bioelectro-stimulation.

The impact of readily biodegradable substrates (sewage and acetate) in bioelectroremediation of hydrocarbons (PW) was evaluated in a bench-scale soil-based hybrid bioelectrochemical system. Addition of bioelectro-stimulants evidenced efficient degradation than control operation. Acetate and sewage were exhibited power density of 1126 mW/m and 1145 mW/m, respectively, which is almost 15 % higher than control (without stimulant, 974 mW/m).

Microbial electrosynthesis feasibility evaluation at high bicarbonate concentrations with enriched homoacetogenic biocathode.

An enrichment methodology was developed for a homoacetogenic biocathode that is able to function at high concentrations of bicarbonates for the microbial electrosynthesis (MES) of acetate from carbon dioxide. The study was performed in two stages; enrichment of consortia in serum bottles and the development of a biocathode in MES. A homoacetogenic consortium was sequentially grown under increasing concentrations of bicarbonate, in serum bottles, at room temperature.

A microbial fuel cell configured for the remediation of recalcitrant pollutants in soil environment.

A pristine soil environment supports a healthy soil biodiversity, which is often polluted with recalcitrant compounds. The bioelectrochemical remediation of the contaminated soils using bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is gaining significant attention with respect to the restoration of the soil ecosystem. In this direction, a microbial fuel cell (MFC, an application of BES), was employed for the treatment of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in a soil microenvironment at three ranges of pollution (loading conditions - 320, 590 and 840 mg TPH per L).

Utilization of residual organics of Labaneh whey for renewable energy generation through bioelectrochemical processes: Strategies for enhanced substrate conversion and energy generation.

Labaneh whey (LW) that is rich in residual organics was evaluated for bioelectricity generation using microbial fuel cell (MFC) in two different configurations namely single chamber (MFC-SC) and dual chamber (MFC-DC) MFCs. The whole study was executed in three stages: The first stage evidenced promising amount of bioelectricity generation (DC, 643 mV; SC, 545 mV) along with chemical oxygen demand removal (CODr: DC, 60.63%; SC, CODr: 55.

Removal of petroleum hydrocarbons and sulfates from produced water using different bioelectrochemical reactor configurations.

Produced water (PW) is a wastewater generated in large quantities from the extraction of oil and gas. PW found to have high amounts of dissolved solids (TDS) and residual petroleum hydrocarbons causing considerable damage to the environment. PW also contains sulfates in significant amounts, due to which treating this wastewater is essential prior to discharge.

Cylindrical graphite based microbial fuel cell for the treatment of industrial wastewaters and bioenergy generation.

Cylindrical graphite microbial fuel cell (MFC) configuration designed by eliminating distinct casing and membrane was evaluated for bioelectrogenesis and treatment of real-field wastewaters. Both petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) and Labanah whey wastewater (LW) were used as substrates, and investigated for electricity generation and organic removal under batch mode operation. PRW showed higher bioelectricity generation (current and power generation of 3.

Induced bioelectrochemical metabolism for bioremediation of petroleum refinery wastewater: Optimization of applied potential and flow of wastewater.

Hybrid based bioelectrochemical system (BES) configured with embedded anode and cathode electrodes in soil was tested for the bioelectrochemical degradation of petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW). Four applied potentials were studied to optimize under batch mode operation, among which 2 V resulted in higher COD degradation (69.2%) and power density (725 mW/m) during 7 days of operation.

Enhanced treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater by short-term applied voltage in single chamber microbial fuel cell.

Electrochemically active anodic biofilm that has adapted under mild applied potentials in the range 100-500 mV was evaluated for its improved bioelectrogenesis and bioelectrochemical treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) in a single chamber air cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC). MFC operation with 500 mV as supplemental voltage has exhibited a maximum power density of 132 mW/m, which was three times higher than control MFC (45 mW/m). Similarly, highest substrate removal efficiency (48%) was also obtained with the MFC of 500 mV, followed by 300 mV (37%), 100 mV (32%) and control (27%).

Improved salt removal and power generation in a cascade of two hydraulically connected up-flow microbial desalination cells.

A novel two chamber up-flow microbial desalination cell (UMDC) was designed for evaluating desalination of real seawater with simultaneous wastewater treatment and energy generation. Two UMDCs were hydraulically connected in continuous flow mode (cascade mode) and operated at ten different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) [120 h to 12 h] and salt retention times (SRTs) [40 h to 4 h] for improved performance of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and salt removal. These UMDCs were operated at different combinations of high power (higher external resistance) and high current (low external resistance) mode to find the most suitable conditions for obtaining higher COD removal, salt removal, power production and current generation.

Improved petroleum refinery wastewater treatment and seawater desalination performance by combining osmotic microbial fuel cell and up-flow microbial desalination cell.

The petroleum refinery wastewater which is a product of petroleum refinery has a high organic content. This study explores the utilization of petroleum refinery wastewater collected from petroleum refinery as a resource for bioelectricity generation and using this energy for salt removal from seawater in a hydraulically connected osmotic microbial fuel cell (OsMFC) and up flow microbial desalination cell (UMDC). Anaerobic mixed sludge was used in the anodic chamber of OsMFC and UMDC.

Unravelling and Reconstructing the Nexus of Salinity, Electricity, and Microbial Ecology for Bioelectrochemical Desalination.

Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) are an emerging concept for simultaneous water/wastewater treatment and energy recovery. The key to developing MDCs is to understand fundamental problems, such as the effects of salinity on system performance and the role of microbial community and functional dynamics. Herein, a tubular MDC was operated under a wide range of salt concentrations (0.

Effects of current generation and electrolyte pH on reverse salt flux across thin film composite membrane in osmotic microbial fuel cells.

Osmotic microbial fuel cells (OsMFCs) take advantages of synergy between forward osmosis (FO) and microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to accomplish wastewater treatment, current generation, and high-quality water extraction. As an FO based technology, OsMFCs also encounter reverse salt flux (RSF) that is the backward transport of salt ions across the FO membrane into the treated wastewater. This RSF can reduce water flux, contaminate the treated wastewater, and increase the operational expense, and thus must be properly addressed before any possible applications.

Effects of electron acceptors on removal of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli, resistance genes and class 1 integrons under anaerobic conditions.

Anaerobic biotechnologies can effectively remove antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but there is a need to better understand the mechanisms. Here we employ bioelectrochemical systems (BES) as a platform to investigate the fate of a native tetracycline and sulfonamide-resistant Escherichia coli strain and its ARGs. The E.

Mathematical modeling based evaluation and simulation of boron removal in bioelectrochemical systems.

Boron removal is an arising issue in desalination plants due to boron's toxicity. As an emerging treatment concept, bioelectrochemical systems (BES) can achieve potentially cost-effective boron removal by taking advantage of cathodic-produced alkali. Prior studies have demonstrated successful removal of boron in microbial desalination cells (MDCs) and microbial fuel cells (MFCs), both of which are representative BES.

Treatment and desalination of domestic wastewater for water reuse in a four-chamber microbial desalination cell.

Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) have been studied for contaminant removal from wastewater and salinity reduction in saline water. However, in an MDC wastewater treatment and desalination occurs in different streams, and high salinity of the treated wastewater creates challenges for wastewater reuse. Herein, a single-stream MDC (SMDC) with four chambers was developed for simultaneous organic removal and desalination in the same synthetic wastewater.

Bioelectrochemical production of hydrogen in an innovative pressure-retarded osmosis/microbial electrolysis cell system: experiments and modeling.

Background: While microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can simultaneously produce bioelectrochemical hydrogen and treat wastewater, they consume considerable energy to overcome the unfavorable thermodynamics, which is not sustainable and economically feasible in practical applications. This study presents a proof-of-concept system in which hydrogen can be produced in an MEC powered by theoretically predicated energy from pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO). The system consists of a PRO unit that extracts high-quality water and generates electricity from water osmosis, and an MEC for organic removal and hydrogen production.

Understanding electricity generation in osmotic microbial fuel cells through integrated experimental investigation and mathematical modeling.

Osmotic microbial fuel cells (OsMFCs) are a new type of MFCs with integrating forward osmosis (FO). However, it is not well understood why electricity generation is improved in OsMFCs compared to regular MFCs. Herein, an approach integrating experimental investigation and mathematical model was adopted to address the question.