title: Evaluation of electricity production from alkaline pretreated sludge using two-chamber microbial fuel cell.
abstract: Electricity production from alkaline pretreated sludge was evaluated using a two-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC). The electricity production was found to be stable over a long period of time (approximately 17 d) with voltage outputs and power densities of 0.47-0.52 V and 46.80-55.88 mW/m(2), respectively. The anode resistance was the main internal resistance (73.2%) of MFC in the stable stage. Most soluble organic matters (proteins and carbohydrates) in the anode chamber were first degraded and converted into volatile fatty acids (0-15 d), which were then degraded and converted into electricity and methane (15-29 d). The insoluble organics were solubilized thereby decreasing the sludge concentration and reducing the sludge mass. Methane was produced in the anode chamber owing to the growth of methanogens, which did not obviously affect the electricity production. The change in humic-like substances displayed a positive correlation with the electricity production of the MFC. Microbial analysis showed that methanogens and electricity-producing bacteria co-existed mostly on the surface as well as inside the anode. Decreasing the anode resistance and increasing the anode utilization could enhance the electricity production.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Benyi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China. Electronic address: jxliu@rcees.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Junxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D004560:Electricity; D004566:Electrodes; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000378:metabolism; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D012722:Sewage; D008697:Methane