TY - JOUR
T1 - Significance of biological hydrogen oxidation in a continuous single-chamber microbial electrolysis cell
AU - Lee, Hyung Sool
AU - Rittmann, Bruce
PY - 2010/2/1
Y1 - 2010/2/1
N2 - A single-chamber microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) that used a high density of nonmetal-catalyst carbon fibers as the anode achieved high volumetric current densities from 1470 ± 60 to 1630 ± 50 A/m3 for a hydraulic retention time of 1.6-6.5 h. The high current density was driven by a large anode surface area and corresponded to a volumetric chemical oxygen demand (COD)-removal rate of 27-49 kg COD/m3 • d. Observed H2 harvesting rates were from 2.6 ± 0.10 to 4.3 ± 0.46 m3 H2/ m3 • d, but the H2 production rates computed from the current densities were 16.3-18.2 m 3 H2/m3 • d. Tracking all significant electron sinks (residual acetate, H2, CH4, biomass, and soluble microbial products (SMP)) in the single-chamber MEC showed that H 2 reoxidation by anode-respiring bacteria recycled H2 between the cathode and the anode, and this caused the large discrepancy in H2 production and harvest rates. H2 recycle accounted for 62-76% of observed current density, and this made the observed Coulombic efficiency 190-310% at steady state. Consequently, the cathodic conversion efficiency was only 16-24%. The current density added by H2 recycle also increased the applied voltage from ∼0.6 V to ∼1.5 V for the highest H2 harvestrate(4.3m3 H2/m3 • d).CH4 generation consistently occurred in the continuous single-chamber MEC, and its electron fraction of consumed acetate was 7-25%. Because of methane formation and biomass/SMP accumulation, the overall H 2 recovery was moderate at 1.8-2.0 mol of H2/mol of acetate in the MEC. Thus, this study illustrates that a single-chamber MEC with a high anode surface area can generate high volumetric rates for COD removal and H2 generation, but H2recycle and methanogenesis present significant challenges for practical application.
AB - A single-chamber microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) that used a high density of nonmetal-catalyst carbon fibers as the anode achieved high volumetric current densities from 1470 ± 60 to 1630 ± 50 A/m3 for a hydraulic retention time of 1.6-6.5 h. The high current density was driven by a large anode surface area and corresponded to a volumetric chemical oxygen demand (COD)-removal rate of 27-49 kg COD/m3 • d. Observed H2 harvesting rates were from 2.6 ± 0.10 to 4.3 ± 0.46 m3 H2/ m3 • d, but the H2 production rates computed from the current densities were 16.3-18.2 m 3 H2/m3 • d. Tracking all significant electron sinks (residual acetate, H2, CH4, biomass, and soluble microbial products (SMP)) in the single-chamber MEC showed that H 2 reoxidation by anode-respiring bacteria recycled H2 between the cathode and the anode, and this caused the large discrepancy in H2 production and harvest rates. H2 recycle accounted for 62-76% of observed current density, and this made the observed Coulombic efficiency 190-310% at steady state. Consequently, the cathodic conversion efficiency was only 16-24%. The current density added by H2 recycle also increased the applied voltage from ∼0.6 V to ∼1.5 V for the highest H2 harvestrate(4.3m3 H2/m3 • d).CH4 generation consistently occurred in the continuous single-chamber MEC, and its electron fraction of consumed acetate was 7-25%. Because of methane formation and biomass/SMP accumulation, the overall H 2 recovery was moderate at 1.8-2.0 mol of H2/mol of acetate in the MEC. Thus, this study illustrates that a single-chamber MEC with a high anode surface area can generate high volumetric rates for COD removal and H2 generation, but H2recycle and methanogenesis present significant challenges for practical application.
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U2 - 10.1021/es9025358
DO - 10.1021/es9025358
M3 - Article
C2 - 20030379
AN - SCOPUS:75749112093
SN - 0013-936X
VL - 44
SP - 948
EP - 954
JO - Environmental Science & Technology
JF - Environmental Science & Technology
IS - 3
ER -