Bioenergy Generation and Phenol Degradation through Microbial Fuel Cells Energized by Domestic Organic Waste

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) seem to have emerged in recent years to degrade the organic pollutants from wastewater. The current research also focused on phenol biodegradation using MFCs. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), phenol is a priority pollutant to remediate due to its potential adverse effects on human health. At the same time, the present study focused on the weakness of MFCs, which is the low generation of electrons due to the organic substrate. The present study used rotten rice as an organic substrate to empower the MFC’s functional capacity to degrade the phenol while simultaneously generating bioenergy. In 19 days of operation, the phenol degradation efficiency was 70% at a current density of 17.10 mA/m2 and a voltage of 199 mV. The electrochemical analysis showed that the internal resistance was 312.58 Ω and the maximum specific capacitance value was 0.00020 F/g on day 30, which demonstrated mature biofilm production and its stability throughout the operation. The biofilm study and bacterial identification process revealed that the presence of conductive pili species (Bacillus genus) are the most dominant on the anode electrode. However, the present study also explained well the oxidation mechanism of rotten rice with phenol degradation. The most critical challenges for future recommendations are also enclosed in a separate section for the research community with concluding remarks.

The Potential Use of Pseudomonas stutzeri as a Biocatalyst for the Removal of Heavy Metals and the Generation of Bioelectricity

“…The dependence of the value of the internal resistance of electronic devices is vital because it affects the start-up time, which is why the growth of microorganisms in biofilms occurs at a higher speed at high resistance [59,60]. Yaqoob et al (2023) used rotten rice as a substrate in their MFC, showing an internal resistance of 312.5 Ω using graphite as electrodes. They also mentioned that the increase in internal resistance decreased the mobility of electrons [61].…”

“…They also mentioned that the increase in internal resistance decreased the mobility of electrons [61]. Likewise, Raychaudhuri et al (2023), in their MFCs, used rice mill wastewater as a substrate, achieving an internal resistance of 372.34 Ω using carbon electrodes, mentioning that high absorbed values of the chemical oxygen demand were due to the high porosity shown of the electrodes [62]. In the literature, it has been found that metallic electrodes or electrodes with metallic inlays improve the performance of an MFC, reducing its internal resistance values due to the inherent properties that these materials have, facilitating the transport of electrons between the anodic and cathodic chambers [63].…”

Potential Use of Andean Tuber Waste for the Generation of Environmentally Sustainable Bioelectricity

“…The treatment of 1 m 3 of organic waste costs around USD 289, and the expense is more significant in the manufacture of electrodes [51]. Another way to improve the economic viability of microbial fuel cells is by using the sediments generated after waste treatment and the generation of electrical energy as fertilizer or some other type of application [52]. It has also been reported that the use of microbial fuel cells as bioremediations or for the reduction of heavy metals are other applications that can be given to this technology, and it has already been shown that the excess concentration of heavy metals reduces the growth of microbes in cells [53].…”

Analysis of Photocatalytic Degradation of Phenol by Zinc Oxide Using Response Surface Methodology

“…[11] Physical, chemical, and biological treatment techniques are used to remove phenol from wastewater. Membrane filtration, flotation, coagulation-flocculation, adsorption, precipitation, and ion exchange [12,13,14,15,16,17] are used as physico-chemical treatment techniques, while aerobic and anaerobic processes, bacterial and fungal biosorption [18,19] are used as biological treatment techniques. However, there are many limitations in these processes, such as high cost and low efficiency, and these processes cannot entirely remove phenolic compounds from wastewater.…”