title: Resource recovery from landfill leachate using bioelectrochemical systems: Opportunities, challenges, and perspectives.
abstract: Landfill leachate has recently been investigated as a substrate for bioelectrochemical systems (BES) for electricity generation. While BES treatment of leachate is effective, the unique feature of bioelectricity generation in BES creates opportunities for resource recovery from leachate. The organic compounds in leachate can be directly converted to electrical energy through microbial interaction with solid electron acceptors/donors. Nutrient such as ammonia can be recovered via ammonium migration driven by electricity generation and ammonium conversion to ammonia in a high-pH condition that is a result of cathode reduction reaction. Metals in leachate may also be recovered, but the recovery is affected by their concentrations and values. Through integrating membrane process, especially forward osmosis, BES can recover high-quality water from leachate for applications in landscaping, agricultural irrigation or direct discharge. This review paper discusses the opportunities, challenges, and perspectives of resource recovery from landfill leachate by using BES.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Syeed Md
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Iskander
authors.affiliation: Waste Management, Gaithersburg, MD 20882, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brazil
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Novak
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; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D009995:Osmosis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bioelectricity; Bioelectrochemical systems; Forward osmosis; Landfill leachate; Resource recovery