Generation of Power by Microbial Fuel Cell with Ferricyanide in Biodegradation of Benzene

Abstract

The power generation potential of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) during the process of benzene biodegradation with potassium ferricyanide (0–200 mM) as the terminal electron acceptor was evaluated. Experimental results demonstrate that benzene was used as the sole carbon source in generating electricity by a mixed culture. The power density increased from 0.0276 to 2.1 mW m−2 as the concentration of potassium ferricyanide in the cathode chamber was increased from 0 to 200 mM. With a benzene concentration of 10.87 mg L−1 and a potassium ferricyanide concentration of between 0 and 150 mM, complete degradation of benzene was achieved in 22–24.5 h. However, when the concentration of potassium ferricyanide was raised to 200 mM, the time required for complete benzene degradation was prolonged to 35 h. The results of this investigation can be used as a basis for future assessments of the power generation capacity of MFCs that are used to treat benzene‐contaminated wastewater.

Enhancement and monitoring of pollutant removal in a constructed wetland by microbial electrochemical technology

“…However, they are comparable with values obtained in the MFC systems treating waters contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, e.g. benzene (Wang et al, 2012;Rakoczy et al, 2013;Wu et al, 2013), where power densities from 0.85 to 2.1 mW m -2 were reported. Recently, a maximum power density of 316 mW m -3 NAC (net anodic compartment) and a coulombic efficiency of 14% was obtained in a lab-scale MFC treating the same groundwater contaminated with benzene, MTBE and NH 4 + -N as used in the present study, in which graphite granules were used as electrode materials (Wei et al, 2015).…”

“…Recently, it was reported that microbial anodes in METs can effectively enhance the anaerobic biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons (e.g. benzene, toluene), providing potential applications for the bioremediation of anaerobic sediment or groundwater contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (Zhang et al, 2010;Wang et al, 2012;Wu et al, 2013). In addition to converting the chemical energy of pollutants in electricity, METs were used as biosensors for on-line monitoring of wastewater treatment or anaerobic digestion processes, such as MFC-based sensors for measuring the biological oxygen demand (BOD) (Di Lorenzo et al, 2009;Liu et al, 2011).…”

A comparative study on treatment of wastewaters with various biodegradability and various pH values using single‐chamber microbial fuel cells

“…In MFCs, the anode electrode acted as the terminal electron acceptor but failed to induce a repression similar to sulfate or nitrate for the methanogenic pathway (Wu et al, ). A previous study showed that the maximum output voltage obtained from benzene degradation in a double‐chamber MFC was 96 mV, and the average benzene removal rate was around 100% (Wu et al, ). The maximum voltage value is consistent with results obtained in this study except for the benzene removal.…”

“…The maximum voltage value is consistent with results obtained in this study except for the benzene removal. It is worth noting that the initial concentration of benzene used in Wu’s study was around 20 mg/L, and potassium ferricyanide was used as terminal electron acceptor (Wu et al, ).…”

“…Aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, such as benzene, can also create major environmental pollutants (Fan, ). Benzene, which is a common component of fuels, is carcinogenic and is classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Vogt et al, ; Wu et al, ). Research has indicated that domestic wastewater contains approximately 9.3 times more energy than what is required for its treatment in treatment plants (Heidrich et al, ).…”