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Processes
Special Issues
Development and Applications of Bioelectrochemical Systems
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Development and Applications of Bioelectrochemical Systems

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 21568

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Young-Chae Song

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, 727, Taejong-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan 49112, Republic of Korea
Interests: anaerobic processes; environmental sensors; real-time monitoring, intelligence control, bioelectrochemical technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Younggy Kim

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Interests: biological wastewater treatment; electrodialysis; nutrient recovery from wastewater; bioelectrochemical systems
Prof. Dr. Yongtae Ahn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Energy Engineering, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology, Dongjin-ro 33, Jinju, Gyeongnam 52725, Republic of Korea
Interests: bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion; membrane filtration; energy/resources recovery from organic wastes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The bioelectrochemical system (BES), which is capable of converting chemical energy into electrical energy (and vice-versa) while employing microbes as catalysts, is a sustainable platform with the potential to address global challenges in renewable energy and natural resources. Recently, many studies revealed that extracellular electrons are also exchanged via direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) as well as mediated electron transfer. Compared with indirect interspecies electron transfer by the enzymatic reactions, extracellular electron transfers are less susceptible to environmental conditions, has better electron conservation during transferal, and can be promoted by external electric potential. Therefore, BES has the potential to be applied to a variety of applications such as waste to energy conversion, microbial electrosynthesis of useful substances, bioprocess monitoring, and waste and wastewater treatment. So far, various BES platforms such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), and microbial desalination cells (MDCs) have been studied, and in recent years, significant advances in the design and operation of BESs in various applications have been made based on the fundamental mechanisms of DIET.

This Special Issue aims to present up-to-date information on the recent scientific advances in the fundamental and diverse applications of BES. Authors are invited to submit papers relating to, but not limited to, the following topics: electroactive microorganisms, mechanisms of direct/indirect interspecies electron transfer, the bioelectrochemical reaction (redox potential shift, thermodynamics, and kinetics), electrodes (materials, catalysts, shapes, and arrangements), electrode potential and electrostatic field, BES platforms (MFCs, MDCs, MECs, and other new platforms), modeling and optimization of BES, applications of BES (methane and hydrogen production, biogas upgrading, nitrogen removal, tertiary treatment of wastewater, etc.), and BES design and operation.

Prof. Dr. Young-Chae Song
Dr. Younggy Kim
Prof. Dr. Yongtae Ahn
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electroactive microorganisms
  • direct interspecies electron transfer
  • bioelectrochemical reaction
  • electrode materials and catalyst
  • BES platforms
  • microbial electrosynthesis
  • modeling and optimization of the BES platform
  • applications of BES
  • design and operation of BES platforms

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1215 KiB  
Article
Electric Field-Driven Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer for Bioelectrochemical Methane Production from Fermentable and Non-Fermentable Substrates
by Gyung-Geun Oh, Young-Chae Song, Byung-Uk Bae and Chae-Young Lee
Processes 2020, 8(10), 1293; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8101293 - 15 Oct 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2857
Abstract
The bioelectrochemical methane production from acetate as a non-fermentable substrate, glucose as a fermentable substrate, and their mixture were investigated in an anaerobic sequential batch reactor exposed to an electric field. The electric field enriched the bulk solution with exoelectrogenic bacteria (EEB) and [...] Read more.
The bioelectrochemical methane production from acetate as a non-fermentable substrate, glucose as a fermentable substrate, and their mixture were investigated in an anaerobic sequential batch reactor exposed to an electric field. The electric field enriched the bulk solution with exoelectrogenic bacteria (EEB) and electrotrophic methanogenic archaea, and promoted direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) for methane production. However, bioelectrochemical methane production was dependent on the substrate characteristics. For acetate as the substrate, the main electron transfer pathway for methane production was DIET, which significantly improved methane yield up to 305.1 mL/g chemical oxygen demand removed (CODr), 77.3% higher than that in control without the electric field. For glucose, substrate competition between EEB and fermenting bacteria reduced the contribution of DIET to methane production, resulting in the methane yield of 288.0 mL/g CODr, slightly lower than that of acetate. In the mixture of acetate and glucose, the contribution of DIET to methane production was less than that of the single substrate, acetate or glucose, due to the increase in the electron equivalent for microbial growth. The findings provide a better understanding of electron transfer pathways, biomass growth, and electron transfer losses depending on the properties of substrates in bioelectrochemical methane production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Applications of Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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10 pages, 2567 KiB  
Article
Influence of Humidity on Performance of Single Chamber Air-Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells with Different Separators
by Mungyu Lee, Sanath Kondaveeti, Taeyeon Jeon, Inhae Kim and Booki Min
Processes 2020, 8(7), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8070861 - 17 Jul 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3102
Abstract
The maximum performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is significantly affected by the reduction reactions in the cathode, but their optimum condition is not fully understood yet. The air-cathode MFC operations with different separators (Nafion 117 and polypropylene (PP80) were evaluated at various [...] Read more.
The maximum performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is significantly affected by the reduction reactions in the cathode, but their optimum condition is not fully understood yet. The air-cathode MFC operations with different separators (Nafion 117 and polypropylene (PP80) were evaluated at various relative humidity (RH) at the cathode chamber. Air cathode MFCs with a Nafion 117 separator at RH of 90 ± 2% produced the highest cell voltage of 0.35 V (600 Ω) and power density of 116 mW/m2. With a PP80 separator, the maximum power generation of 381 mW/m2 was obtained at a relatively lower RH of 30 ± 2%. The cyclic voltammogram and Tafel analysis indicated that the best performance of cathodic oxygen reduction reactions could be observed at 90% RH for Nafion and 50% RH for the PP80 separator. Additionally, the RH conditions also affected the anodic reactions and oxygen mass transfer rates to the anode chamber through the cathode and separators. This study suggests that the optimum RH condition at the cathode is important in order to obtain a high performance of MFC operations and needs to be controlled at different optimum levels depending on the characteristics of the separators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Applications of Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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12 pages, 1758 KiB  
Article
Bioelectrochemical Methane Production from Food Waste in Anaerobic Digestion Using a Carbon-Modified Copper Foam Electrode
by Zhengkai An, Qing Feng, Rusong Zhao and Xiaoli Wang
Processes 2020, 8(4), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8040416 - 1 Apr 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4684
Abstract
Anaerobic bioelectrochemical digestion (ABD) is widely used for treating wastewater and recovering energy. The electrode is the key point for ABD system, which was sparsely studied with food waste. In this study, a carbon-modified copper foam was fabricated with copper foam and multiple [...] Read more.
Anaerobic bioelectrochemical digestion (ABD) is widely used for treating wastewater and recovering energy. The electrode is the key point for ABD system, which was sparsely studied with food waste. In this study, a carbon-modified copper foam was fabricated with copper foam and multiple wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) through electrophoretic deposition and screen-printing methods. The carbon-modified copper foam electrode was investigated in an ABD reactor for food waste. The features of bioelectrochemical methane production, process stability, and electrochemical characterization were evaluated in the ABD reactor, and were compared to the control reactor without equipping electrode. The ultimate methane production reached 338.1 mL CH4/L in the ABD reactor, which was significantly higher than the 181.0 mL CH4/L of the control reactor. The methane produced from the electrode was 137.8 mL CH4/L, which was up to 40.8% of total methane production in the ABD reactor. It was attributed to the electroactive bacteria that were enriched and activated by the carbon-modified copper foam electrode, further activating the direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) pathways for methane production. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis showed higher redox peaks, which is one of the pieces of evidence for the enrichment of electroactive bacteria. The carbon-modified copper foam electrode has the advantages of both carbon and metal materials, and demonstrated a high possibility for use in bioelectrochemical methane production for food waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Applications of Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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Review

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20 pages, 3126 KiB  
Review
Progress in Nitrogen Removal in Bioelectrochemical Systems
by Jin Sun, Hongrui Cao and Zejie Wang
Processes 2020, 8(7), 831; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8070831 - 13 Jul 2020
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 4458
Abstract
Nitrogenous compounds attract great attention because of their environmental impact and harmfulness to the health of human beings. Various biological technologies have been developed to reduce the environmental risks of nitrogenous pollutants. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are considered to be a novel biological technology [...] Read more.
Nitrogenous compounds attract great attention because of their environmental impact and harmfulness to the health of human beings. Various biological technologies have been developed to reduce the environmental risks of nitrogenous pollutants. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are considered to be a novel biological technology for removing nitrogenous contaminants by virtue of their advantages, such as low energy requirement and capacity for treating wastewaters with a low C/N ratio. Therefore, increasing attention has been given to carry out biological processes related to nitrogen removal with the aid of cathodic biofilms in BESs. Prior studies have evaluated the feasibility of conventional biological processes including nitrification, denitrification, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox), separately or combined together, to remove nitrogenous compounds with the help of BESs. The present review summarizes the progress of developments in BESs in terms of the biological process, cathodic biofilm, and affecting factors for efficient nitrogen removal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Applications of Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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17 pages, 1029 KiB  
Review
Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion by Stimulating DIET Reaction
by Alsayed Mostafa, Seongwon Im, Young-Chae Song, Yongtae Ahn and Dong-Hoon Kim
Processes 2020, 8(4), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8040424 - 3 Apr 2020
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5523
Abstract
Since the observation of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) in anaerobic mixed cultures in 2010s, the topic “DIET-stimulation” has been the main route to enhance the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) under harsh conditions, such as high organic loading rate (OLR) and the [...] Read more.
Since the observation of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) in anaerobic mixed cultures in 2010s, the topic “DIET-stimulation” has been the main route to enhance the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) under harsh conditions, such as high organic loading rate (OLR) and the toxicants’ presence. In this review article, we tried to answer three main questions: (i) What are the merits and strategies for DIET stimulation? (ii) What are the consequences of stimulation? (iii) What is the mechanism of action behind the impact of this stimulation? Therefore, we introduced DIET history and recent relevant findings with a focus on the theoretical advantages. Then, we reviewed the most recent articles by categorizing how DIET reaction was stimulated by adding conductive material (CM) and/or applying external voltage (EV). The emphasis was made on the enhanced performance (yield and/or production rate), CM type, applied EV, and mechanism of action for each stimulation strategy. In addition, we explained DIET-caused changes in microbial community structure. Finally, future perspectives and practical limitations/chances were explored in detail. We expect this review article will provide a better understanding for DIET pathway in AD and encourage further research development in a right direction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Applications of Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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