Utilization of Response Surface Methodology in Optimization and Modelling of a Microbial Electrolysis Cell for Wastewater Treatment Using Box–Behnken Design Method

Abstract

A vast quantity of untreated wastewater is discharged into the environment, resulting in contamination of receiving waters. A microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is a promising bioelectrochemical system (BES) for wastewater treatment and energy production. However, poor design and control of MEC variables may lead to inhibition in the system. This study explored the utilization of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) on the synergistic aspects of MEC and magnetite nanoparticles for wastewater treatment. Influences of temperature (25–35 °C), voltage supply (0.3–1.3 V) and magnetite nanoparticle dosage (0.1–1.0 g) on the biochemical methane potentials (BMPs) were investigated with the aim of optimizing biogas yield, chemical oxygen demand removal and current density. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique verified that the quadratic models obtained were substantial, with p-values below 0.05 and high regression coefficients (R2). The optimum biogas yield of 563.02 mL/g VSfed, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 97.52%, and current density of 26.05 mA/m2 were obtained at 32.2 °C, 0.77 V and 0.53 g. The RSM revealed a good comparison between the predicted and actual responses. This study revealed the effective utilization of statistical modeling and optimization to improve the performance of the MEC to achieve a sustainable and eco-friendly situation.

Application of Magnetite-Nanoparticles and Microbial Fuel Cell on Anaerobic Digestion: Influence of External Resistance

“…Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the digesters that were used in this investigation. Figure 1 a represents the control digester which had no external resistor; the control was fed with 300 mL sewage sludge, 500 mL waste-activated sludge, and 0.53 g magnetite-nanoparticles [ 28 ]. Each of the MFCs was fed with the same substrate.…”

“…The zinc electrode (anode) and copper electrode (cathode) were inserted inside the BMPs and had a width of 1 cm as well as a length of 12 cm. The experimental work was carried out for a period of 30 days at a constant mesophilic temperature of 32.2 °C by using a water bath [ 28 ].…”

Effect of Electrode Spacing on the Performance of a Membrane-Less Microbial Fuel Cell with Magnetite as an Additive

“…The electrode spacing was expressed as the distance between the anodic electrode and the cathodic electrode plates of an MFC. Batch digesters with a total volume of 1 L were operated at a mesophilic temperature of 32.2 °C [ 52 ] for a hydraulic retention time of 30 days ( Figure 11 ). The working volume of each digester was 0.8 L, which consisted of 0.3 L of sewage sludge, 0.5 L of waste-activated sludge, and 0.53 g of magnetite nanoparticles [ 52 ].…”

“…Batch digesters with a total volume of 1 L were operated at a mesophilic temperature of 32.2 °C [ 52 ] for a hydraulic retention time of 30 days ( Figure 11 ). The working volume of each digester was 0.8 L, which consisted of 0.3 L of sewage sludge, 0.5 L of waste-activated sludge, and 0.53 g of magnetite nanoparticles [ 52 ]. The electrode spacing of the MFCs was set at different values: 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 cm.…”

Optimization and Analysis of a Low-Pressure Water Scrubbing Biogas Upgrading System via the Taguchi and Response Surface Methodology Approaches

“…Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is a set of both mathematical and statistical techniques useful for the modeling and analysis to fully understand the correlation of several control variables on the process responses (Madondo et al, 2022). The performance of water scrubbing systems is dependent on the gas pressure, water flow rate, raw biogas composition, the purity of the water used, the hydraulic retention time, and the dimensions of the scrubbing tower (Noorain et al, 2019).…”