title: A fluidized bed membrane bioelectrochemical reactor for energy-efficient wastewater treatment.
abstract: A fluidized bed membrane bioelectrochemical reactor (MBER) was investigated using fluidized granular activated carbon (GAC) as a mean of membrane fouling control. During the 150-day operation, the MBER generated electricity with contaminant removal from either synthetic solution or actual wastewater, as a standalone or a coupled system. It was found that fluidized GAC could significantly reduce transmembrane pressure (TMP), although its function as a part of the anode electrode was minor. When the MBER was linked to a regular microbial fuel cell (MFC) for treating a wastewater from a cheese factory, the MFC acted as a major process for energy recovery and contaminant removal, and the coupled system removed more than 90% of chemical oxygen demand and >80% of suspended solids. The analysis showed that the ratio of energy recovery and consumption was slightly larger than one, indicating that the coupled system could be theoretically energy neutral.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. Electronic address: zhenhe@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D019149:Bioreactors; D004560:Electricity; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012996:Solutions; D013816:Thermodynamics; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012996:Solutions; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bioenergy; Fluidized granular activated carbon; Membrane bioelectrochemical reactor; Microbial fuel cell; Wastewater treatment