BACKGROUND The present work explores the catalytic and electric performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) implemented with high chemical oxygen demand (COD) industrial wastewater from Spain. The polymer inclusion membrane based on 70% [MTOA][Cl] IL was used as separator and showed a good efficiency in power production and COD removal. RESULTS Outputs of 72% in COD conversion, 200 mV voltage and 32 mW m−3 power density were obtained, demonstrating that slaughterhouse wastewater is a good feedstock for the scale‐up of this technology. Furthermore, the effect of the microbial fuel cell on the physical/chemical parameters of the slaughterhouse wastewater was analyzed. The concentration of nitrite, orthophosphate, sulfate and ammonium was reduced by more than half. CONCLUSIONS Air breathing cathode‐microbial fuel cells based on polymer ionic liquids inclusion membranes allow the treatment of an industrial and high load slaughterhouse wastewater with good depuration and electrical performance efficiency. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an environmentally friendly technology that can recover electricity directly from several wastes at ambient temperatures. This work explores the use of mineral oil refinery wastewater as feedstock in single-chamber air-cathode MFC devices. A polymer inclusion membrane based on the ionic liquid methyltrioctylammonium chloride, [MTOA + ][Cl − ], at a concentration of 70% w/w, was used as separator, showing a good efficiency in power production and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. The power and the chemical oxygen demand removal reached values of 45 mW/m 3 and over 80%, respectively. The evolution of other parameters of the wastewater including nitrites, phosphates and sulphates were also studied. Kjeldahl nitrogen and sulphates were significantly reduced during MFC operation. The results show that mineral oil refinery wastewater can be used as feedstock in air breathing cathode-microbial fuel cells based on polymer ionic liquid inclusion membranes. This configuration could represent a good alternative for wastewater depuration while producing energy during the process.

Air-breathing cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) fed with citrus juice processing wastewater were employed for bioenergy production and simultaneously for wastewater treatment. Polymer inclusion membranes based on the ionic liquid methyltrioctylammonium chloride were tested as separator in this microbial fuel cell assembly. Regarding the wastewater treatment capacity, the evolution of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal over time reaches a maximum value of 45 %. In addition to COD removal, an electrochemical characterization of the wastewater before and after being treated was also performed. Despite this type of feedstock not being ideal for bioenergy production in air-breathing cathode MFCs due to the acidity of the substrate, enough amount of bioenergy is produced to consider this technology a suitable alternative for reusing citrus juice processing wastewater.