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Optimization of biodrying pretreatment of municipal solid waste and microbial fuel cell treatment of leachate

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Abstract

The biodrying pretreatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the treatment of leachate were investigated. The biological oxygen demand (BOD) and NH4 +-N concentration of leachate from MSW biodrying pretreatment were measured, and the optimal conditions for MSW biodrying pretreatment and microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance were established. The results show that the optimal temperature and time for biodrying pretreatment of MSW were 40°C and 6 day, resulting in 30% weight loss of MSW, 20,800 mg/L leachate BOD, and 1,410 mg/L leachate NH4 +-N. Effects of leachate properties on MFC performance were then studied. The optimal conditions for electricity generation of the MFC were neutral pH, 5,093 mg/L leachate BOD, and 341 mg/L leachate NH4 +-N. The stable voltage of MFC generated using diluted leachate was 0.32 V, and the removal efficiencies of BOD and NH4 +-N by the MFC were 86.0 and 88.8% after 7 day of treatment, respectively. These findings provide guidelines for the pretreatment of MSW and the treatment of leachate, and for further research and actual engineering application.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510-640, China

    Haoran Yuan & Lifang Deng

  2. Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510-640, China

    Haoran Yuan & Lifang Deng

  3. Guangzhou division Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510-070, China

    Yong Chen

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  1. Haoran Yuan
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  2. Lifang Deng
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  3. Yong Chen
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Correspondence to Lifang Deng.

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Yuan, H., Deng, L. & Chen, Y. Optimization of biodrying pretreatment of municipal solid waste and microbial fuel cell treatment of leachate. Biotechnol Bioproc E 19, 668–675 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-013-0575-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-013-0575-y

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