• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.351-359
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• 2015

The study on the improvement of discharge water quality from domestic wastewater treatment plant (DWTP) was performed in a filter type bioelectrochemical system. The COD removal efficiency for a synthetic discharge water was about 88%, and the effluent COD was less than 5mg/L. The nitrification efficiency of the bioelectrochemical system was over 97%, but a considerable amount of the nitrogen was remained as nitrate form in the effluent. The total nitrogen removal efficiency was only around 30%. There are no significant differences in the removal of COD and nitrogen at 0.6 and 0.8V of the applied voltages between anode and cathode. The removal of COD and nitrogen in the system were quite stable when the HRT ranged from 60 to 15 minutes, and at 10 minutes of HRT, the nitrification efficiency was slightly decreased. The performance of the bioelectrochemical system has quickly recovered from the shocks in the influent due to high concentration of COD and nitrogen. For the effluent that discharged from the DWTP, the removal efficiencies of COD and total nitrogen from the bioelectrochemical system were 50 and 30%, respectively. Thus the bioelectrochemical system was a feasible process for further polishing the effluent quality from DWTP.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.53-75
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• 2015

This paper provides an overview of the role of membranes in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Bioelectrochemical systems harvest clean energy from waste organic sources by employing indigenous exoelectrogenic bacteria. This energy is extracted in the form of bioelectricity or valuable biofuels such as ethanol, methane, hydrogen, and hydrogen peroxide. Various types of membranes were applied in these systems, the most common membrane being the cation exchange membrane. In this paper, we discuss three major bioelectrochemical technology research areas namely microbial fuel cells (MFCs), microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) and microbial desalination cells (MDCs). The operation principles of these BESs, role of membranes in these systems and various factors that affect their performance and economics are discussed in detail. Among the three technologies, the MFCs may be functional with or without membranes as separators while the MECs and MDCs require membrane separators. The preliminary economic analysis shows that the capital and operational costs for BESs will significantly decrease in the future due mainly to differences in membrane costs. Currently, MECs appear to be cost-competitive and energy-yielding technology followed by MFCs. Future research endeavors should focus on maximizing the process benefits while simultaneously minimizing the membrane costs related to fouling, maintenance and replacement.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1221-1228
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• 2005

Carbon electrode was applied to a wastewater treatment system as biofilm media. The spatial distribution of heterotrophic bacteria in aerobic wastewater biofilm grown on carbon electrode was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and biomass measurement. Five volts of electric oxidation and reduction potential were charged to the carbon anode and cathode of the bioelectrochemical system, respectively, but were not charged to electrodes of a conventional system. To correlate the biofilm architecture of bacterial populations with their activity, the bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons was measured in the bioelectrochemical system and compared with that in the conventional system. In the SEM image, the biofilm on the anodic medium of the bioelectrochemical system looked intact and active; however, that on the carbon medium of the conventional system appeared to be shrinking or damaging. In the AFM image, the thickness of biofilm formed on the carbon medium was about two times of those on the anodic medium. The bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons in the bioelectrochemical system was about 1.5 times higher than that in the conventional system. Some denitrifying bacteria can metabolically oxidize $H_{2}$, coupled to reduction of $NO_{3}^{-}\;to\;N_{2}$. $H_{2}$ was produced from the cathode in the bioelectrochemical system by electrolysis of water but was not so in the conventional system. The denitrification efficiency was less than $22\%$ in the conventional system and more than $77\%$ in the bioelectrochemical system. From these results, we found that the electrochemical coupling reactions between aerobic and anaerobic reactors may be a useful tool for improvement of wastewater treatment and denitrification efficiency, without special manipulations such as bacterial growth condition control, C/N ratio (the ratio of carbon to nitrogen) control, MLSS returning, or biofilm refreshing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.678-682
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• 2006

To remove nitrate from wastewater, a novel bioelectrochemical denitrification system is introduced. In this proposed system, biological reactions are coupled with reactions on the electrode, whereby the electrons are transferred to the bacterial enzymes via a mediator as an electron carrier. The denitrification reaction was achieved with permeabilized Ochrobactrum anthropi SY509 containing denitrifying enzymes, such as nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and nitrous oxide reductase, and methyl viologen was used as the mediator. The electron transfer from the electrode to the enzymes in the bacterial cells was confirmed using cyclic voltammetry. A high removal efficiency of nitrate was achieved when the bioelectrochemical system was used with the permeabilized cells. Furthermore, when the permeabilized cells were immobilized to a graphite felt electrode using a calcium alginate matrix containing graphite powder, a high removal efficiency was achieved (4.38 nmol/min mg cell) that was comparable to the result when using the free permeabilized cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1140-1146
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• 2013

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have been suggested as a new technology for wastewater treatment while accomplishing energy and chemical generation. This study describes the performance of BESs based on mixed culture that are capable of reducing carbon dioxide to acetate. The cathode potential was a critical factor that affected the performance of the BESs. The rate of acetate production increased as the electrode potential became more negative, from 0.38 mM $d^{-1}$ (-900 mV vs. Ag/AgCl) to 2.35 mM $d^{-1}$ (-1,100 mV), while the electron recovery efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction to acetate increased from 53.6% to 89.5%. The microbial population was dominated by relatives of Acetobacterium woodii when a methanogenic inhibitor was added to the BESs initially.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.406-411
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• 2001

In a bacterial denitrification test with Pseudomonas sp. and anaerobic consortium, more nitrates and less substrate were consumed but less metabolic nitrite was produced under an anaerobic $H_2$ condition rather than under $N_2$ condition. In a bioelectrochemical denitrification test with the same organisms, the electrochemically reduced neutral red was confirmed to be a substitute electron donor and a reducing power like $H_2$. The biocatalytic activity of membrane-free bacterial extract, membrane fraction, and intact cell for bioelectrochemical denitrification was measured using cyclic voltammetry. When neutral red was used as an electron mediator, the electron transfer from electrode to electron acceptor (nitrate) via neutral red was not observed in the cyclic voltammogram with the membrane-free bacterial extract, but it was confirmed to gradually increase in proportion to the concentration of nitrate in that of the membrane fraction and the intact cell of Pseudomonas sp.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.58-67
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• 2020

Microbial electrosynthesis has recently been considered a potentially sustainable biotechnology for converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable biochemicals. In this study, bioelectrochemical acetate production from CO₂ was studied in an H-type two-chambered reactor system with an anaerobic microbial consortium. Metal-rich mud flat was used as the inoculum and incubated electrochemically for 90 days under a cathode potential of -1.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Four consecutive batch cultivations resulted in a high acetate concentration and productivity of 93 mmol/L and 7.35 mmol/L/day, respectively. The maximal coulombic efficiency (rate of recovered acetate from supplied electrons) was estimated to be 64%. Cyclic voltammetry showed a characteristic reduction peak at -0.2~-0.4 V, implying reductive acetate generation on the cathode electrode. Furthermore, several electroactive acetate-producing microorganisms were identified based on denaturing- gradient-gel-electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA sequence analyses. These results suggest that the mud flat can be used effectively as a microbial source for bioelectrochemical CO₂ conversion.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1760-1768
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• 2019

The use of lignocellulosic biomass such as rice straw can help subsidize the cost of producing value-added chemicals. However, inhibitory compounds, such as phenolics, produced during the pre-treatment of biomass, hamper the saccharification process. Laccase and electrochemical stimuli are both well known to reduce phenolic compounds. Therefore, in this study, we implemented a bioelectrochemical detoxification system (BEDS), a consolidated electrochemical and enzymatic process involving laccase, to enhance the detoxification of phenolics, and thus achieve a higher saccharification efficiency. Saccharification of pretreated rice straw using BEDS at 1.5 V showed 90% phenolic reduction (Ph_r), thereby resulting in a maximum saccharification yield of 85%. In addition, the specific power consumption when using BEDS (2.2 W/Kg Ph_r) was noted to be 24% lower than by the electrochemical process alone (2.89 W/kg Ph_r). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to implement BEDS for reduction of phenolic compounds in pretreated biomass.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2005

The bioelectrochemical reduction of nitrate in the presence of various mediators including methyl viologen and azure A was studied using a 3-electrode voltammetric system. The catalytic potential for the reduction of the mediators was observed in the reactor, which for methyl viologen and azure A were -0.74 V and -0.32 V, respectively, with respect to the potential of Ag/AgCl reference electrode. This potential was then applied to a working electrode to reduce each mediator for enzymatic nitrate reduction. Nitrite, the product of the reaction, was measured to observe the enzymatic nitrate reduction in the reaction media. Methyl viologen was observed as the most efficient mediator among those tested, while azure A showed the highest electron efficiency at the intrinsic reduction potential when the mediated enzyme reactions were carried out with the freely solubilized mediator. The electron transfer of azure A with respect to time was due to the adhesion of azure A to the hydrophilic surface during the reduction. In addition, the use of the adsorbed mediator on conductive activated carbon was proposed to inhibit the change in the electron transfer rate during the reaction by maintaining a constant mediator concentration and active surface area of the electrode. Azure A showed better than nitrite formation than methyl viologen when used with activated carbon.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.9
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• pp.542-549
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• 2015

The bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion for sewage sludge was attempted at different applied voltages ranged from 0.2 V to 0.4 V. At 0.3 V of the applied voltage, pH and VFAs were at 7.32 and 760 mg COD/L, respectively, which were quite stable. The methane production rate was $1.32L\;CH_4/L.d$, and the methane content in biogas was 73.8%, indicating that the performance of the bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion could be considerably improved by applying a low voltage. At 0.4 V of the applied voltage, however, the contents of the minor VFA components including formic acid and propionic acid were increased. The methane production rate was reduced to $1.24L\;CH_4/L.d$ and the biogas methane content was also reduced to 72.4%. At 0.2 V of the applied voltage, the pH was decreased to 6.3, and VFAs was accumulated to 5,684 mg COD/L. The contents of propionic acid and butyric acid in the VFAs were considerably increased, The performances in terms of the methane production rate and the biogas methane content were deteriorated. The poor performance of the bioelectrochemical reactor at 0.2 V of the applied voltage was ascribed to the thermodynamic potential lack for the driving of the carbon dioxide reduction into methane at cathode.