Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

“NEW” resource recovery from wastewater using bioelectrochemical systems: Moving forward with functions

  • Feature Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have been extensively studied for resource recovery from wastewater. By taking advantage of interactions between microorganisms and electrodes, BES can accomplish wastewater treatment while simultaneously recovering various resources including nutrients, energy and water (“NEW”). Despite much progress in laboratory studies, BES have not been advanced to practical applications. This paper aims to provide some subjective opinions and a concise discussion of several key challenges in BES-based resource recovery and help identify the potential application niches that may guide further technological development. In addition to further increasing recovery efficiency, it is also important to have more focus on the applications of the recovered resources such as how to use the harvested electricity and gaseous energy and how to separate the recovered nutrients in an energy-efficient way. A change in mindset for energy performance of BES is necessary to understand overall energy production and consumption. Scaling up BES can go through laboratory scale, transitional scale, and then pilot scale. Using functions as driving forces for BES research and development will better guide the investment of efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahn Y H (2006). Sustainable nitrogen elimination biotechnologies: A review. Process Biochemistry, 41(8): 1709–1721

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bennetto H P, Delaney G M, Mason J R, Roller S D, Stirling J L, Thurston C F (1985). The sucrose fuel cell: Efficient biomass conversion using a microbial catalyst. Biotechnology Letters, 7(10): 699–704

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bennetto H P, Stirling J L, Tanaka K, Vega C A (1983). Anodic reactions in microbial fuel cells. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 25(2): 559–568

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cai T, Park S Y, Li Y (2013). Nutrient recovery from wastewater streams by microalgae: Status and prospects. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 19: 360–369

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Call D, Logan B E (2008). Hydrogen production in a single chamber microbial electrolysis cell lacking a membrane. Environmental Science & Technology, 42(9): 3401–3406

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cath T Y, Childress A E, Elimelech M (2006). Forward osmosis: Principles, applications, and recent developments. Journal of Membrane Science, 281(1–2): 70–87

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chae K J, Choi M J, Kim K Y, Ajayi F F, Chang I S, Kim I S (2010). Selective inhibition of methanogens for the improvement of biohydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 35(24): 13379–13386

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng S, Xing D, Call D F, Logan B E (2009). Direct biological conversion of electrical current into methane by electromethanogenesis. Environmental Science & Technology, 43(10): 3953–3958

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clauwaert P, Verstraete W (2009). Methanogenesis in membraneless microbial electrolysis cells. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 82(5): 829–836

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen B (1931). The bacterial culture as an electric half-cell. Journal of Bacteriology, 21(1): 18–19

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cotterill S E, Dolfing J, Jones C, Curtis T P, Heidrich E S (2017). Low temperature domestic wastewater treatment in a microbial electrolysis cell with 1 m2 anodes: Towards system scale-up. Fuel Cells (Weinheim), 17(5): 584–592

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cusick R D, Bryan B, Parker D S, Merrill M D, Mehanna M, Kiely P D, Liu G, Logan B E (2011). Performance of a pilot-scale continuous flow microbial electrolysis cell fed winery wastewater. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 89(6): 2053–2063

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cusick R D, Logan B E (2012). Phosphate recovery as struvite within a single chamber microbial electrolysis cell. Bioresource Technology, 107: 110–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Delaney G M, Bennetto H P, Mason J R, Roller S D, Stirling J L, Thurston C F (1984). Electron-transfer coupling in microbial fuel cells. 2. Performance of fuel cells containing selected microorganism‒mediator‒substrate combinations. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 34(1): 13–27

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dong Y, Qu Y, He W, Du Y, Liu J, Han X, Feng Y (2015). A 90-liter stackable baffled microbial fuel cell for brewery wastewater treatment based on energy self-sufficient mode. Bioresource Technology, 195: 66–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan C, Dewan A, Peng H, Heo D, Beyenal H (2011). Power management system for a 2.5 W remote sensor powered by a sediment microbial fuel cell. Journal of Power Sources, 196(3): 1171–1177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • El Diwani G, El Rafie S, El Ibiari N N, El-Aila H I (2007). Recovery of ammonia nitrogen from industrial wastewater treatment as struvite slow releasing fertilizer. Desalination, 214(1–3): 200–214

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Escapa A, Mateos R, Martínez E J, Blanes J (2016). Microbial electrolysis cells: An emerging technology for wastewater treatment and energy recovery. From laboratory to pilot plant and beyond. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 55: 942–956

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feng Y, He W, Liu J, Wang X, Qu Y, Ren N (2014). A horizontal plug flow and stackable pilot microbial fuel cell for municipal wastewater treatment. Bioresource Technology, 156: 132–138

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foley J M, Rozendal R A, Hertle C K, Lant P A, Rabaey K (2010). Life cycle assessment of high-rate anaerobic treatment, microbial fuel cells, and microbial electrolysis cells. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(9): 3629–3637

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ge Z, He Z (2012). Effects of draw solutions and membrane conditions on electricity generation and water flux in osmotic microbial fuel cells. Bioresource Technology, 109: 70–76

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ge Z, He Z (2016). Long-term performance of a 200-L modularized microbial fuel cell system treating municipal wastewater: treatment, energy and cost. Environmental Science. Water Research & Technology, 2(2): 274–281

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ge Z, Li J, Xiao L, Tong Y, He Z (2014). Recovery of electrical energy in microbial fuel cells. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 1(2): 137–141

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghimire A, Kumar G, Sivagurunathan P, Shobana S, Saratale G D, Kim H W, Luongo V, Esposito G, Munoz R (2017). Bio-hythane production from microalgae biomass: Key challenges and potential opportunities for algal bio-refineries. Bioresource Technology, 241: 525–536

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He Z (2013). Microbial fuel cells: Now let us talk about energy. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(1): 332–333

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He Z (2017). Development of microbial fuel cells needs to go beyond “power density”. ACS Energy Letters, 2(3): 700–702

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiegemann H, Herzer D, Nettmann E, Lübken M, Schulte P, Schmelz K G, Gredigk-Hoffmann S, Wichern M (2016). An integrated 45L pilot microbial fuel cell system at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. Bioresource Technology, 218: 115–122

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiegemann H, Lübken M, Schulte P, Schmelz K G, Gredigk-Hoffmann S, Wichern M (2018). Inhibition of microbial fuel cell operation for municipal wastewater treatment by impact loads of free ammonia in bench- and 45L-scale. Science of the Total Environment, 624: 34–39

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Z, Lu L, Jiang D, Xing D, Ren Z J (2017). Electrochemical hythane production for renewable energy storage and biogas upgrading. Applied Energy, 187: 595–600

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ichihashi O, Hirooka K (2012). Removal and recovery of phosphorus as struvite from swine wastewater using microbial fuel cell. Bioresource Technology, 114: 303–307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karube I, Matsunaga T, Tsuru S, Suzuki S (1977). Biochemical fuel cell utilizing immobilized cells of clostridium butyricum. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 19(11): 1727–1733

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly P T, He Z (2014). Nutrients removal and recovery in bioelectrochemical systems: A review. Bioresource Technology, 153: 351–360

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Le Corre K S, Valsami-Jones E, Hobbs P, Parsons S A (2009). Phosphorus recovery from wastewater by struvite crystallization: A review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 39(6): 433–477

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee E J, Criddle C S, Bobel P, Freyberg D L (2013). Assessing the scale of resource recovery for centralized and satellite wastewater treatment. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(19): 10762–10770

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Ge Z, He Z (2014). A fluidized bed membrane bioelectrochemical reactor for energy-efficient wastewater treatment. Bioresource Technology, 167: 310–315

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Zhou W, Hu B, Min M, Chen P, Ruan R R (2011). Integration of algae cultivation as biodiesel production feedstock with municipal wastewater treatment: strains screening and significance evaluation of environmental factors. Bioresource Technology, 102(23): 10861–10867

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liang P, Wei J, Li M, Huang X (2013). Scaling up a novel denitrifying microbial fuel cell with an oxic-anoxic two stage biocathode. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 7(6): 913–919

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Logan B E (2004). Electricity generation using an air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell in the presence and absence of a proton exchange membrane. Environmental Science & Technology, 38(14): 4040–4046

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Liu L, Gao B, Yang F, Crittenden J, Ren N (2014). Integration of microbial fuel cell with independent membrane cathode bioreactor for power generation, membrane fouling mitigation and wastewater treatment. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 39(31): 17865–17872

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Logan B E (2010). Scaling up microbial fuel cells and other bioelectrochemical systems. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 85(6): 1665–1671

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Logan B E, Regan J M (2006). Electricity-producing bacterial communities in microbial fuel cells. Trends in Microbiology, 14 (12): 512–518

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lovley D R (2006). Microbial fuel cells: novel microbial physiologies and engineering approaches. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 17 (3): 327–332

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu L, Hou D, Wang X, Jassby D, Ren Z J (2016). Active H2 harvesting prevents methanogenesis in microbial electrolysis cells. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 3(8): 286–290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo H, Qin B, Liu G, Zhang R, Tang Y, Hou Y (2015). Selective recovery of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from wastewater using bioelectrochemical system. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 9(3): 522–527

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo S, Jain A, Aguilera A, He Z (2017). Effective control of biohythane composition through operational strategies in an innovative microbial electrolysis cell. Applied Energy, 206: 879–886

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCarty P L, Bae J, Kim J (2011). Domestic wastewater treatment as a net energy producer—Can this be achieved? Environmental Science & Technology, 45(17): 7100–7106

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Milledge J J (2011). Commercial application of microalgae other than as biofuels: A brief review. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology, 10(1): 31–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pham T H, Aelterman P, Verstraete W (2009). Bioanode performance in bioelectrochemical systems: recent improvements and prospects. Trends in Biotechnology, 27(3): 168–178

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Potter MC (1911). Electrical effects accompanying the decomposition of organic compounds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B (London), 84(571): 260–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin M, Abu-Reesh I M, He Z (2016). Effects of current generation and electrolyte pH on reverse salt flux across thin film composite membrane in osmotic microbial fuel cells. Water Research, 105: 583–590

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qin M, He Z (2014). Self-supplied ammonium bicarbonate draw solute for achieving wastewater treatment and recovery in a microbial electrolysis cell-forward osmosis-coupled system. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 1(10): 437–441

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qin M, He Z (2017). Resource recovery by osmotic bioelectrochemical systems towards sustainable wastewater treatment. Environmental Science. Water Research & Technology, 3(4): 583–592

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qin M, Liu Y, Luo S, Qiao R, He Z (2017). Integrated experimental and modeling evaluation of energy consumption for ammonia recovery in bioelectrochemical systems. Chemical Engineering Journal, 327: 924–931

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qin M, White C, Zou S, He Z (2018). Passive separation of recovered ammonia from catholyte for reduced energy consumption in microbial electrolysis cells. Chemical Engineering Journal, 334: 2303–2307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rabaey K, Verstraete W (2005). Microbial fuel cells: Novel biotechnology for energy generation. Trends in Biotechnology, 23(6): 291–298

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren S, Li M, Sun J, Bian Y, Zuo K, Zhang X, Liang P, Huang X (2017). A novel electrochemical reactor for nitrogen and phosphorus recovery from domestic wastewater. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 11(4): 17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez Arredondo M, Kuntke P, Jeremiasse A W, Sleutels T H J A, Buisman C J N, ter Heijne A (2015). Bioelectrochemical systems for nitrogen removal and recovery from wastewater. Environmental Science. Water Research & Technology, 1(1): 22–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ronteltap M, Maurer M, Gujer W (2007). The behaviour of pharmaceuticals and heavy metals during struvite precipitation in urine. Water Research, 41(9): 1859–1868

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rozendal R A, Hamelers H V M, Euverink G J W, Metz S J, Buisman C J N (2006). Principle and perspectives of hydrogen production through biocatalyzed electrolysis. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 31(12): 1632–1640

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rozendal R A, Hamelers H V M, Molenkamp R J, Buisman C J N (2007). Performance of single chamber biocatalyzed electrolysis with different types of ion exchange membranes. Water Research, 41(9): 1984–1994

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Siegert M, Li X F, Yates M D, Logan B E (2015). The presence of hydrogenotrophic methanogens in the inoculum improves methane gas production in microbial electrolysis cells. Frontiers in Microbiology, 5: 778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun M, Sheng G P, Zhang L, Xia C R, Mu Z X, Liu X W, Wang H L, Yu H Q, Qi R, Yu T, Yang M (2008). An MEC-MFC-coupled system for biohydrogen production from acetate. Environmental Science & Technology, 42(21): 8095–8100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun M, Zhai L F, Li W W, Yu H Q (2016). Harvest and utilization of chemical energy in wastes by microbial fuel cells. Chemical Society Reviews, 45(10): 2847–2870

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tchobanoglous G, Burton F L, Stensel H D (2002). Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse. Boston: McGraw-Hill Thompson

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewster E, Jermakka J, Freguia S, Batstone D J (2017). Modelling recovery of ammonium from urine by electro-concentration in a 3-chamber cell. Water Research, 124: 210–218

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valentino F, Morgan-Sagastume F, Campanari S, Villano M, Werker A, Majone M (2017). Carbon recovery from wastewater through bioconversion into biodegradable polymers. New Biotechnology, 37(Pt A): 9–23

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Villano M, Scardala S, Aulenta F, Majone M (2013). Carbon and nitrogen removal and enhanced methane production in a microbial electrolysis cell. Bioresource Technology, 130: 366–371

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner R C, Regan J M, Oh S E, Zuo Y, Logan B E (2009). Hydrogen and methane production from swine wastewater using microbial electrolysis cells. Water Research, 43(5): 1480–1488

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang H, Park J D, Ren Z J (2015). Practical energy harvesting for microbial fuel cells: A review. Environmental Science & Technology, 49(6): 3267–3277

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang H, Ren Z J (2013). A comprehensive review of microbial electrochemical systems as a platform technology. Biotechnology Advances, 31(8): 1796–1807

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y K, Sheng G P, Shi B J, Li W W, Yu H Q (2013). A novel electrochemical membrane bioreactor as a potential net energy producer for sustainable wastewater treatment. Scientific Reports, 3 (1): 1864

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao Y, Zheng Y, Wu S, Yang Z H, Zhao F (2016). Nitrogen recovery from wastewater using microbial fuel cells. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 10(1): 185–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Qin M, Yang X, He Z (2017). Sustainable operation of osmotic microbial fuel cells through effective reproduction of polyelectrolyte draw solutes facilitated by cathodic pH increase. Journal of Cleaner Production, 168: 1143–1149

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Xiang Y, Xia C, Wu W M, Sun G, Xu M (2014). Physiological and electrochemical effects of different electron acceptors on bacterial anode respiration in bioelectrochemical systems. Bioresource Technology, 164: 270–275

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan H, He Z (2015). Integrating membrane filtration into bioelectrochemical systems as next generation energy-efficient wastewater treatment technologies for water reclamation: A review. Bioresource Technology, 195: 202–209

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan Z, Pratt S, Batstone D J (2012). Phosphorus recovery from wastewater through microbial processes. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 23(6): 878–883

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zamora P, Georgieva T, Ter Heijne A, Sleutels T H J A, Jeremiasse A W, Saakes M, Buisman C J N, Kuntke P (2017). Ammonia recovery from urine in a scaled-up Microbial Electrolysis Cell. Journal of Power Sources, 356: 491–499

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B, He Z (2012). Energy production, use and saving in a bioelectrochemical desalination system. RSC Advances, 2(28): 10673–10679

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang F, Brastad K S, He Z (2011). Integrating forward osmosis into microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment, water extraction and bioelectricity generation. Environmental Science & Technology, 45 (15): 6690–6696

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou M, Chi M, Luo J, He H, Jin T (2011). An overview of electrode materials in microbial fuel cells. Journal of Power Sources, 196(10): 4427–4435

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zou S, He Z (2018). Efficiently “pumping out” value-added resources from wastewater by bioelectrochemical systems: A review from energy perspectives. Water Research, 131: 62–73

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zou S, Qin M, Moreau Y, He Z (2017). Nutrient-energy-water recovery from synthetic sidestream centrate using a microbial electrolysis cellforward osmosis hybrid system. Journal of Cleaner Production, 154: 16–25

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), Virginia Tech.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Akshay Jain & Zhen He

Authors
  1. Akshay Jain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhen He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhen He.

Additional information

Dr. Zhen (Jason) He is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He received a BS from Tongji University, a MS from Technical University of Denmark, and a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, all in Environmental Engineering. Then he completed a 2-year postdoctoral training at University of Southern California before joining the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee as an Assistant Professor in 2009. Four year later, he moved to Virginia Tech as a tenured Associated Professor. In 2017 he was promoted to a Full Professor. He is directing the Environmental Biotechnology & Bioenergy Laboratory with a focus on resource recovery from wastes/wastewater. The ongoing research projects in his lab include bioelectrochemcial systems for wastewater treatment, forward osmosis, nutrient removal and recovery, and algal bioreactors. He has published over 170 journal papers, which have been cited for more than 9,000 times with an H-index of 47 (Google Scholar). He has received 3 granted US patents. In 2017, he established Virginia Tech Center for Applied Water Research and Innovations (CAWRI) as an inaugural director. He was also the 2017 President of Chinese-American Professors in Environmental Engineering and Science (CAPEES). He is currently the Vice Chair of the Research and Innovation Committee underWater Environment Federation (WEF). In 2018, Dr. He was selected to receive Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is an Associate Editor for three journals: Science of the Total Environment,Water Environment Research, and Journal of Environmental Engineering. He is also a Member of Editorial Board for Chemical Engineering Journal and Data in Brief, and a Member of Advisory Board for Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jain, A., He, Z. “NEW” resource recovery from wastewater using bioelectrochemical systems: Moving forward with functions. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 12, 1 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-018-1052-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-018-1052-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation