Enhanced disinfection of wastewater by combining wetland treatment with bioelectrochemical H(2)O(2) production.
A highly-loaded constructed wetland (up to 44±21gCODm(-2)d(-1)) was connected to a bioelectrochemical system (BES) to produce hydrogen peroxide for disinfection purposes. The anode delivered a current from the wetland effluent up to 3.5Am(-2) (maximum 62% anodic efficiency) but was limited in the supply of organic carbon. Hydrogen peroxide could be produced in situ in wetland effluent. Production rates were tested at various current densities with a maximum rate of 2.7gmelectrode(-2)h(-1) (4h at 10Am(-2), 41% cathodic efficiency). Little difference was observed between production rate in wetland effluent or a 0.3% NaCl solution. The resulting hydrogen peroxide (0.1%) was used to disinfect wetland effluent successfully (<75CFUml(-1) after 1h contact time). The combination of wetland water treatment with peroxide production in a BES thus enables generating higher water qualities, including disinfected water, without external input of chemicals.
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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JB
Arends
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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S
Van Denhouwe
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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W
Verstraete
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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N
Boon
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: Korneel.rabaey@ugent.be.
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K
Rabaey
D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D053833:Wetlands
D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D062065:Wastewater
Cathode; Hydrogen peroxide; Microbial fuel cell; Sanitation; Solids removal