The Application of Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells in Aquacultural Sediment Remediation
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Sediment and Water Sources
2.2. Construction and Operation of the SMFC
2.3. Analysis and Calculation
3. Analysis of Electricity Generation Performance
3.1. Voltage Analysis
3.2. Cell Internal Resistance and Power Density
4. Analysis of Overlying Water Remediation
5. Analysis of Sediment Pollutant Removal
6. Conclusions
- (1)
- The average voltage of SMFC-A, which had a carbon fiber brush electrode, was the highest, and the average voltages of SMFCs with the other three electrode structures were relatively close. The power density was slightly higher for the SMFC using carbon fiber brushes vs. a graphite felt electrode, but the graphite felt material has a higher application value because of its lower cost. The SMFC using a carbon fiber cloth electrode had a relatively low power density, probably because of the smooth surface, which is unfavorable for microbial attachment.
- (2)
- The voltage and maximum output power of the SMFCs were significantly increased when the external resistance was 100 vs. 1000 Ω, and the electricity generation performance of the SMFC increased with increasing external resistance. However, an external resistance of 100 Ω led to a better effect on sediment remediation and water purification. At low resistance, more electrons are transferred to the cathode, forming a higher current, which produces a faster cathodic reaction and higher external electrical activity and thus accelerates the pollutant removal rate.
- (3)
- Compared with the open-circuit condition, introducing SMFCs accelerated the removal of pollutants from the overlying water. After 60 days of operation, the concentrations of COD, ammonia-N, TN, and TP in the overlying water of SMFC-C100 and SMFC-C1000 were lower than those of the open-circuit control group, and the removal effect on TP was the highest.
- (4)
- Compared with the open-circuit condition, introducing the SMFC promoted the degradation of organic matter and the fixation of P in sediments. After 2 months of operation, the TOC content in the sediments of SMFC-C100 and SMFC-C1000 decreased by 19.73% and 15.17%, respectively, which were significantly higher rates than that for the open-circuit control group. Compared with the initial state, the TP content in the sediments of SMFC-C100 and SMFC-C1000 increased by 9.49% and 2.83%, respectively, while that in the open-circuit control group decreased slightly. SMFCs increased the redox potential and thus the P adsorption capacity of sediments.
- (5)
- The SMFCs significantly inhibited water eutrophication and rapid algal blooms. After two months, green algal and brown algal blooms appeared in the two open-circuit control groups but not in the experimental groups with SMFCs. The average chlorophyll a content in the open-circuit control group was found to be significantly higher than that of the experimental groups with SMFCs, demonstrating that the SMFCs had a significant effect on the water quality of the overlying water.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Reactor Type | Anode Material | Cathode Material | Anode Specification | Cathode Specification | External Resistance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SMFC-A | Carbon fiber brush | Carbon fiber brush | 3 × 10 × 15 cm (5) | 3 × 10 × 15 cm (5) | 100 Ω |
SMFC-B | Carbon fiber brush | Graphite felt | 3 × 10 × 15 cm (5) | 10 × 10 × 0.2 cm (3) | 100 Ω |
SMFC-C100 | Graphite felt | Graphite felt | 10 × 10 × 0.5 cm (3) | 10 × 10 × 0.2 cm (3) | 100 Ω |
SMFC-C1000 | Graphite felt | Graphite felt | 10 × 10 × 0.5 mm (3) | 10 × 10 × 0.2 cm (3) | 1000 Ω |
SMFC-D | Carbon fiber cloth | Graphite felt | 10 × 10 mm (6) | 10 × 10 × 0.2 cm (3) | 100 Ω |
Blank | Control group with an open circuit |
Reactor Type Voltage (V) | Startup | 0–15 Day | 16–30 Day | 31–45 Day | 46–60 Day | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SMFC-A | 0.078 | 0.195 | 0.226 | 0.275 | 0.203 | 0.212 |
SMFC-B | 0.020 | 0.208 | 0.206 | 0.265 | 0.172 | 0.194 |
SMFC-C100 | 0.065 | 0.200 | 0.204 | 0.266 | 0.150 | 0.192 |
SMFC-C1000 | 0.300 | 0.580 | 0.618 | 0.665 | 0.675 | 0.604 |
SMFC-D | 0.020 | 0.145 | 0.236 | 0.250 | 0.193 | 0.199 |
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Qi, J.; Sun, Z.; Zhang, J.; Ye, C. The Application of Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells in Aquacultural Sediment Remediation. Water 2022, 14, 2668. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14172668
Qi J, Sun Z, Zhang J, Ye C. The Application of Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells in Aquacultural Sediment Remediation. Water. 2022; 14(17):2668. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14172668
Chicago/Turabian StyleQi, Jiarui, Zhuteng Sun, Jinfeng Zhang, and Chen Ye. 2022. "The Application of Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells in Aquacultural Sediment Remediation" Water 14, no. 17: 2668. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14172668
APA StyleQi, J., Sun, Z., Zhang, J., & Ye, C. (2022). The Application of Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells in Aquacultural Sediment Remediation. Water, 14(17), 2668. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14172668