No abstract

The combination of microbial fuel cell with electrokinetic processes, known as Microbial Electrokinetic Cell (MEKC), is an innovative and sustainable process for simultaneous sediment remediation and renewable energy production. This study made a major contribution to research on MEKC by demonstrating the maximum energy extraction and chromium removal using three types of the anode electrode, comprising plate graphite (PG), scratched plate graphite (SPG), and the combination of SPG with granular activated carbon (SPG‐GAC) used as bioanode. The results indicated that power generation changed noticeably based on the anolyte type and electrode configuration. The application of the SPG‐GAC electrode resulted in the maximum power densities of 10 ± 0.02 and 5.12 ± 0.04 W/m3 in MEKCs fed by actual and synthetic wastewater, respectively. However, feeding MEKC with synthetic wastewater instead of the actual one caused a slight reduction in chromium removal from 72.64 to 69.50% in anode and from 53.70 to 49.44% in cathode chamber. According to the obtained results, the SPG‐GAC can be suggested to improve MEKC power generation by increasing bacterial adhesion and enhancing the extracellular electron transfer using the granular activated carbon. Furthermore, the results provided a proof‐of‐concept that MEKC has a high potential to be used for efficient sediment remediation and to promote environmental health.

Recently developed man-made structures have caused environmental pollutions, and unfortunately, in spite of the deteriorating affairs and repeated warnings by scientists and experts, the degree of contamination is increasing considerably. One of the natural sources undergoing changes is the coasts. It is mainly due to human activities which have led to a change in the quality and quantity of sediments. T hese regions can be contaminated by a variety of hazardous pollutants such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons. In this work, a combination of electrokinetic and MFC process was used for Cr removal from contaminated sediments. According to the obtained results, a maximum power density and current of 1.06 W/m 3 and 52.05 A/m 3 were achieved during the process. Given the presence of chromium in the catholyte, it can be concluded that the chromium migration from sediment sample to the cathode chamber has been taken. In addition, the maximum Cr measured in catholyte was 0.056 mg/l. Overall, the results confirmed the high efficiency of the proposed cell for contaminant removal from sediments.