title: Pyridine degradation in the microbial fuel cells.
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of pyridine biodegradation in the microbial fuel cell (MFC), from which electricity was generated. Experiments were initially conducted in a graphite-packed MFC (G-MFC) using a pyridine concentration of 500 mg/L combined with different glucose concentrations. Pyridine of 500 mg/L only used as the G-MFC fuel resulted in a maximal voltage of 116 mV and a maximal power density of 1.7 W/m(3). The maximal voltage reached within 12 h when pyridine was totally depleted. The glucose supplement with concentrations of 500, 250, and 100 mg/L resulted in the maximum voltages of 623, 538, and 349 mV, respectively, correspondingly the maximal volumetric power densities were 48.5, 36.2, and 15.2 W/m(3). Pyridine biodegradation rates reached 95% within 24h using the G-MFC. Interestingly, after 90 d of acclimation, the biodegradation rates of pyridine in the G-MFC using pyridine only as the fuel were higher than those using the glucose-pyridine mixtures. Further experiments were conducted using a graphite fiber brush MFC (B-MFC). Compared to the G-MFC, the B-MFC enhanced the electrical charges by 89, 186, and 586% for the mixtures with ratios of glucose-to-pyridine of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:5, respectively. GC/MS analyses of the anode solution indicated that the metabolism of pyridine in the MFC was initiated by ring reduction and NH3-N production. The results suggest that pyridine may be used as the MFC fuel in practical applications of wastewater treatment.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, China.
authors.forename: Cuiping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mingchen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guangli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Renduo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D019149:Bioreactors; D004560:Electricity; D004566:Electrodes; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D005947:Glucose / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011725:Pyridines / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D011725:Pyridines; D005947:Glucose; C023666:pyridine