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. 2021 Jun 17;7(6):e07338.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07338. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Effect of substrate ratios on the simultaneous carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous conversions in microbial fuel cells

Madiha Tariq  1 , Jin Wang  2 , Adeel Jalal Malik  3 , Mohammed Salim Akhter  4 , Qaisar Mahmood  1   5
Affiliations

Effect of substrate ratios on the simultaneous carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous conversions in microbial fuel cells

Madiha Tariq et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

The columbic efficiency, removal efficiency and voltage production of seven different combinations of carbon (acetic acid, albumin and sucrose) with nutrients (C:N, C:P, C:S, C:N:S, C:P:S, C:N:P and C: N:S:P) were investigated at three different ratios (20:1, 15:1 and 10:1). The effects of various pH values were also explored for these combinations of carbon, and sulfur compounds (pH 6-8). The highest columbic efficiency (75.8%), COD removal efficiency (86%) and voltage (667 mV) were recorded when the acetic acid was used in the MFC and the lowest columbic efficiency (12.8%), removal efficiency (37.6%) and voltage (145 mV) were observed in case of albumin. A marked increase in columbic efficiency, removal efficiency and voltage production were seen with the rise in the pH value from 6 to 8. The lowest columbic efficiency, removal efficiency and voltage production were seen at pH 6 and highest at pH 8. At each investigated pH, the highest removal efficiency, columbic efficiency, and voltage were found at substrate ratio of 20:1 while lower at 10:1. At all pH values, the carbon to nutrient ratios seemed to have followed a similar trend i.e., the COD removal efficiency, columbic efficiency and voltage generation was found in the order C:N > C:N:S > C:N:S:P > C:N:P > C:S > C:P:S > C:P. In all cases, nitrogen showed a higher removal as compared to phosphorous and sulfur.

Keywords: Bioenergy; Columbic efficiency; Electronic equivalents; Substrate ratios; Voltage generation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of various components of microbial fuel cell used in the study (H = positively charged hydrogen atoms, PEM = Proton exchange membrane, e = electrons flowing in the circuit).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of pH on removal efficiency, columbic efficiency and voltage using acetic acid at 10:1. A: The performance of MFC using acetic acid at pH 6; B: The performance of MFC using acetic acid at pH 7; C: The performance of MFC using acetic acid at pH 8.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of pH on removal efficiency, columbic efficiency and voltage using acetic acid at 20:1. G: The performance of MFC using acetic acid at pH 6; H: The performance of MFC using acetic acid at pH 7; I: The performance of MFC using acetic acid at pH 8.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of pH on Removal Efficiency, Columbic Efficiency and Voltage using Sucrose at 20:1. G: The performance of MFC using sucrose at pH 6; H: The performance of MFC using sucrose at pH 7; I: The performance of MFC using sucrose at pH 8.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of pH on Removal Efficiency, Columbic Efficiency and Voltage using Albumin at 10:1. A: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 6; B: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 7; C: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 8.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of pH on Removal Efficiency, Columbic Efficiency and Voltage using Albumin at 15:1. D: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 6; E: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 7; F: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 8.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effect of pH on Removal Efficiency, Columbic Efficiency and Voltage using Albumin at 20:1. G: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 6; H: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 7; I: The performance of MFC using albumin at pH 8.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur removal at various pH and ratios. A: Nitrogen removal at various pH and ratios; B: Phosphorus removal at various pH and ratios; C: Sulfur removal at various pH and ratios.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Simultaneous Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Sulfur removal at various pH and ratios.
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