Optimisation of Substrates for the Production of Energy from Wastewater through the Utilisation of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs)

Author: Bibhabasu Mohanty, Meet Dhamsaniya
Published Online: September 28, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.63766/spujstmr.24.000016
Abstract
References

Currently, microbial fuel cells (MFC) provide viable options for both generating power and treating wastewater. A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a cutting-edge technology that offers an efficient solution to the problems presented by costly and ecologically damaging energy generation systems reliant on fossil fuels. This study involved the creation of a dual-phase microbial fuel cell (MFC) and the subsequent conduction of experiments in two distinct stages. The initial stage of the experiment was the use of home sewage and dairy effluent, without the addition of any substrate. The second part of the experiment involved the use of residential sewage and dairy effluent, with sodium acetate serving as the substrate. An analysis was conducted on the physiochemical parameters of wastewater in both stages, including color, odour, pH, COD, BOD, TDS, and TSS. The experimental run yielded removal efficiencies of 83.4% for COD and 64.8% for BOD in dairy effluent, 78.4% for COD and 60.4% for BOD in domestic sewage with substrate addition, 75.5% for COD and 53.6% for BOD in dairy effluent, and 63.1% for COD and 58.1% for BOD in domestic wastewater without substrate addition. The voltage produced in the initial phase, in the absence of substrate, during the treatment of household and dairy wastewater was 702.2 mV and 738.5 mV, respectively. During the second phase, the voltage created for treating household wastewater was 725.4 mV, whereas for dairy wastewater it was 753.2 mV. The voltage produced during the treatment of dairy effluent is higher in both stages of the experimental trial. The study showed that organic matter in dairy wastewater degraded more efficiently and produced a higher quantity of electrons compared to household wastewater organic matter.

Keywords: Microbial, Fuel cell, Energy production, Sustainable, Wastewater.
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