Integration of microbial fuel cell and catalytic oxidation reactor with iron phthalocyanine catalyst for Congo red degradation

An integrated system of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) and a catalytic oxidation reactor (COR) was developed. In the MFC-COR system, H2O2 generated at the MFC cathode and residual dissolved oxygen could both be used as oxidants for Congo red degradation in the presence of iron phthalocyanine-based catalyst. Over 90% of Congo red was degraded within 72 h in neutral solution. The open-circuit potential and maximum power density of the MFC reactor were measured as 0.615 V and 808.3 mW/m(3), respectively. The iron phthalocyanine-based catalyst was still active enough even after 33 cycles of operation. LC-MS analysis showed that Congo red was decomposed into less toxic and more biodegradable organics including malonic acid and maleic acid. This MFC-COR system can be a promising alternative for simultaneously biodegradable and refractory pollutant removal. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.