Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison between conventional and modified microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment and electricity generation

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study aims to design conventional and modified microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment and electricity generation expressed as voltage. Series of experiments were conducted to evaluate capability of conventional and modified MFC for treating wastewater, and six parameters were measured. The results showed that modified MFC had maximum removal efficiencies for NO3 (58.89%), PO4 (74.98%), COD (91.74%), TSS (98.16%), Pb (91.39%) and Cu (92.78%), while conventional MFC removal efficiency found to be 51.865, 66.03, 85.267, 83.22, 58.91 and 61.66% for these parameters, respectively. Maximum voltage obtained in both conventional and modified MFC at optimum conditions was found 998 mV.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aelterman P, Rabaey K, Clauwaert P, Verstraete W (2006) Microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment. Water Sci Technol 54:9–15

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali AH (2013) Comparative study on removal of cadmium(II) from simulated wastewater by adsorption onto GAC, DB, and PR. Desalin Water Treat 51:5547–5558

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali AH, Abdul Razaq Z, Tlaiaa Y, Khishala AD (2016) Methane biogas production from mixing of algae and municipal solid waste by anaerobic digestion. Int J Environ Res 10:613–624

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Othman ZA, Ali R, Mu N (2012) Hexavalent chromium removal from aqueous medium by activated carbon prepared from peanut shell: adsorption kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamic studies. Chem Eng J 184:238–247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • APHA (1998) Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater, 20th edn. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Argun H, Kargi F (2009) Effects of sludge pre-treatment method on biohydrogen production by dark fermentation of waste ground wheat. Int J Hydrogen Energy 34:8543–8548

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dena ZK, El-Khatib KM, Helmy MH (2017) Microbial diversity structure in acetate single chamber microbial fuel cell for electricity generation. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 15:127–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghoreyshi AA, Jafary T, Najafpour GD, Haghparast F (2011) Effect of type and concentration of substrate on power generation in a dual chambered microbial fuel cell. World Renew Energy Congr 57:1174–1181

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussein MJ (2017) Using of microbial fuel cell (MFC) for electricity generation and municipal wastewater treatment. M.Sc. thesis, University of Mustansiriyah, Iraq

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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IRPWS (2001) Iraqi regulation for the preservation of water sources. Ministry of Environmental. http://www.moen.gov.iq. Accessed 6 May 2017

  • Kim IS, Chae KJ, Choi MJ, Verstraete W (2008) Microbial fuel cells: recent advances, bacterial communities and application beyond electricity generation. Environ Eng Res 13:51–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim KY, Yang W, Logan BE (2015) Impact of electrode configurations on retention time and domestic wastewater treatment efficiency using microbial fuel cells. Water Res 80:41–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leton TG, Yusuf M, Akatah BM (2016) Utilization of multistage microbial fuel cell for septic wastewater treatment. J Mech Civ Eng 13:80–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan BE (2008) Microbial fuel cells. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahendra BG, Shridhar M (2013) Treatment of wastewater and electricity generation using microbial fuel cell technology. Int J Res Eng Technol 1:277–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Mansoorian HJ, Mahvi AH, Jafari AJ, Amin MM, Rajabizadeh A (2013) Bioelectricity generation using two chamber microbial fuel cell treating wastewater from food processing. Enzyme Microb Technol 52:352–357

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Merawi IA (2015) Using of water hyacinth plant for wastewater treatment, energy production and composting materials. M.Sc. thesis, University of Mustansiriyah, Iraq

  • Mohan SV, Mohanakrishna G, Velvizhi V, Sarma PN (2010) Bio-catalyzed electrochemical treatment of real field dairy wastewater with simultaneous power generation. Biochem Eng J 51:32–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Momoh O, Yusuf L, Naeyor B (2010) A novel electron acceptor for microbial fuel cells: nature of circuit connection on internal resistance. J Biochem Technol 2:216–220

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nimje VR, Chen C, Chen H, Huang YM, Chang Y (2012) Comparative bioelectricity production from various wastewaters in microbial fuel cells using mixed cultures and a pure strain of Shewanella oneidensis. Bioresour Technol 104:315–323

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Park DH, Zeikus JG (2003) Improved fuel cell and electrode designs for producing electricity from microbial degradation. Biotechnol Bioeng 81:348–355

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rabaey K, Verstraete W (2005) Microbial fuel cells: novel biotechnology for energy generation. Trends Biotechnol 23:291–298

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rabaey K, Boon N, Hofte M, Verstraete W (2005) Microbial phenazine production enhances electron transfer in biofuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 39:3401–3408

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sciarria TP, Mecheri B, Merlino G, Barbato M, Garavaglia V (2013) Using olive mill wastewater to improve performance in producing electricity from domestic wastewater by using single-chamber microbial fuel cell. Bioresour Technol 147:246–253

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seviour RJ, Mino T, Onuki M (2003) The microbiology of biological phosphorus removal in activated sludge systems. FEMS Microbiol Rev 27:99–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vullo DL, Ceretti HM, Daniel MA, Ramírez SAM, Zalts A (2008) Cadmium, zinc and copper biosorption mediated by Pseudomonas veronii 2E. Bioresour Technol 99:5574–5581

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wei Y, Borger AR, Eikelboom DH, Fan Y (2003) Minimization of excess sludge production for biological wastewater treatment. Water Res 37:4453–4467

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yavaria Z, Izanloo H, Naddafi K, Khazaeia M (2013) Performance of microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment and electricity generation. Int J Renew Energy Dev 2:131–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhuang L, Zheng Y, Zhou S, Yuan H, Chen Y (2012) Scalable microbial fuel cell (MFC) stack for continuous real wastewater treatment. Bioresour Technol 106:82–88

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mustansiriyah University (www.uomustansiriyah.edu.iq), Bagdad,Iraq, for its support in the present work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering, Environmental Engineering Department, Mustansiriyah University, Bab-Al-Muthem, P.O. Box 14150, Baghdad, Iraq

    A. H. Ali & M. J. Hussein

  2. College of Engineering, Water Resources Engineering Department, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq

    H. A. Al-Mussawy

  3. College of Engineering, Environmental Engineering Department, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq

    N. J. Hamadi

Authors
  1. A. H. Ali
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. A. Al-Mussawy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. J. Hussein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. N. J. Hamadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. H. Ali.

Additional information

Editorial responsibility: Gaurav Sharma.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ali, A.H., Al-Mussawy, H.A., Hussein, M.J. et al. Comparison between conventional and modified microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment and electricity generation. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 16, 8141–8150 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-019-02355-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-019-02355-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation