Energy-positive nitrogen removal using the integrated short-cut nitrification and autotrophic denitrification microbial fuel cells (MFCs)

Yan Li, Isaiah Williams, Zhiheng Xu, Baikun Li and Baitao Li

Applied Energy, 2016, vol. 163, issue C, 352-360

Abstract: An integrated short-cut nitrification and autotrophic denitrification microbial fuel cell (SNAD-MFC) was developed to achieve energy-positive nitrogen removal from wastewater. Ammonium was reduced mostly to nitrite instead of nitrate (the ratio of nitrite to nitrate: 3.0) in the cathode chamber of the short-cut nitrification MFC at low dissolved oxygen concentration (⩽3.5mg/L), and nitrite was reduced to nitrogen gas through autotrophic denitrification in the cathode chamber of the denitrification MFC by using the electrons produced from anode chamber. The total nitrogen removal rate was 0.0125kgN/m3d and the removal efficiency was 99.9%. The power generation in the short-cut nitrification MFC was 294.9mW/m2 with the highest current density of 0.158mA/cm2. The accumulated coulombs of the whole SNAD-MFC were 87.17C at DO 3.5mg/L. Unlike the energy-negative and carbon-intensive biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes, the SNAD-MFC exhibits the distinct advantages of compact configuration, low aeration cost, no requirement of carbon sources, and produces the net electric power of 0.007kWh/m3, which has a high potential for self-sustained energy-positive nutrient removal.

Keywords: Microbial fuel cell; Energy positive; Short-cut nitrification; Autotrophic denitrification; Biological nitrogen removal; Nitrite (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261915014622
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:163:y:2016:i:c:p:352-360

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.11.021

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().