A novel microbial fuel cell and photobioreactor system for continuous domestic wastewater treatment and bioelectricity generation

Abstract

A system containing a sequential anode–cathode configuration microbial fuel cell and a photobioreactor was developed for continuous treatment of wastewater and electricity generation. Wastewater was treated by the fuel cell to decrease the chemical oxygen demand (COD), phosphorus and nitrogen and to produce electricity. The effluent from the cathode compartment of the cell was continuously fed to an external photobioreactor to remove the remaining P and N using microalgae. Alone, the fuel cell generated a maximum power of 20.3 W/m³ and achieved removal of 85 % COD, 58 % total phosphorus (TP) and 91 % NH₄ ⁺–N. When coupled with the photobioreactor, the system removed 92 % TP and 99 % NH₄ ⁺–N. These results demonstrate both the effectiveness and the potential application of the coupled system to continuously treat domestic wastewater and simultaneously generate electricity.