Abstract
A methane-producing microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) was continuously fed at the anode with a synthetic solution of soluble organic compounds simulating the composition of the soluble fraction of a municipal wastewater. The MEC performance was assessed at different anode potentials in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, methane production, and energy efficiency. As a main result, about 72–80 % of the removed substrate was converted into current at the anode, and about 84–86 % of the current was converted into methane at the cathode. Moreover, even though both COD removed and methane production slightly decreased as the applied anode potential decreased, the energy efficiency (i.e., the energy recovered as methane with respect to the energy input into the system) increased from 54 to 63 %. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses revealed a high diversity in the anodic bacterial community with the presence of both fermentative (Proteiniphilum acetatigenes and Petrimonas sulphurifila) and aerobic (Rhodococcus qingshengii) microorganisms, whereas only two microorganisms (Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus and Methanosarcina mazei), both assignable to methanogens, were observed in the cathodic community.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the EU Routes Project (Contract No. 265156, FP7 2007-2013, THEME [ENV.2010.3.1.1-2] Innovative system solutions for municipal sludge treatment and management). The authors also thank Dr. Claudia Ralo (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) and Gianluca De Santis (University of Rome Sapienza) for the skillful assistance with the experimental work.
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Zeppilli, M., Villano, M., Aulenta, F. et al. Effect of the anode feeding composition on the performance of a continuous-flow methane-producing microbial electrolysis cell. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 7349–7360 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3158-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3158-3