Electricity Generation from Wastewater Using an Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Microbial Fuel Cell

The anaerobic fluidized bed microbial fuel cell (AFBMFC) was developed to generate electricity while simultaneously treating wastewater. During a complete cycle, the AFBMFC continuously generated electricity with a maximum power density of 1100 mW/m(2) and removal of total chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 89%. To achieve this power density, the artificial electron-mediator neutral red (NR) was employed in the anode chamber. Granular biological electrodes, fluidization behavior, electron mediators, and temperature were evaluated to improve power production and wastewater treatment efficiency. The results showed that the maximum power density production of granule-graphite AFBMFC was 530 mW/m(2), much higher than 410 mW/m(2) using a granular activated carbon AFBMFC in the same reactor. Fluidization behaviors enhance the mass transfer and momentum transfer between activated carbon and wastewater. The power density increased with increasing methylene blue (MB) and NR concentration. Furthermore, power density reveals a slight increase as MB and NR concentrations exceed 0.5 and 1.7 mmol/L. The optimum temperature ranges from 23 to 40 degrees C. The Coulombic efficiency was 9.3% under the best operating conditions.