Background: Day by day microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is becoming a thought-provoking topic to the researcher because for its simultaneous utilization e.g. electricity production and wastewater treatment. Since wastewater is an important source of electrolyte for MFC, the key tenacity of this study was to investigate the outcome of pH happening various (Municipal, Bhairab river and Hospital) wastewaters used as electrolyte in dual chamber MFC.Findings: The lab-scale experiment was conducted in batch mode, where zinc plate (0.0027m2) as anode and copper plate (0.0027m2) as cathode. In this study a single electrolyte (any one of earlier mentioned three electrolytes) was used in five dual-chambers MFC where the pH of the electrolyte was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The MFC was worked on a temperature ranged from 27°C to 34°C. Maximum outputs were found in terms of current density (1288.9mAm-2), voltage (1132 mV) and power density (1459.02wmw-2) were obtained at pH 8 by using Bhairab river water as an electrolyte in MFC chamber. A substantial amount of COD removal (94%) was also achieved in the same MFC chamber at the same pH (i.e. pH 8). However, the optimum operating pH for MFC containing municipal wastewater and hospital wastewater was found to be 8 and 9, respectively.Conclusion: The results suggest that various wastewaters may act as feasible feedstocks for bioelectricity generation in MFC. The results also show that COD can be removed from wastewater that suggest a treatment possibility of wastewater.
A breakthrough in superabsorbent hydrogel (SAH) preparation was studied in the current issue by blending potato starch and acrylic acid for wastewater treatment. Gamma irradiation source (60Co irradiation) was used to irradiate SAH from 1 to 10 kGy dose at room temperature (~27°C). The swelling ratio, water absorption, equilibrium water content, and gel fraction properties of the hydrogel were investigated. The as-prepared hydrogel treated with KOH (THG) showed excellent absorption capacity but less mechanical stability compared to untreated hydrogel (UHG). The gel fraction of treated SAH was slightly lower in methanol, but the utmost in water at 5 kGy infers the proper grafting of SAH at this point. The prepared SAH was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) to investigate the surface morphology and molecular interaction, respectively. Moreover, this study’s focal point is to propose an alternative method to remove chromium and methylene blue by SAH from industrial wastewater. The Cr adsorption capacity of UHG was higher than that of THG because the proton’s replacement is easier than that of K by Cr. On the other hand, THG was found to be more efficient in removing methylene blue from industrial wastewater due to the presence of an easily ionized group (–COOK) in SAH. Therefore, the hydrogel can be proposed as a potential superabsorbent to remove heavy metals and organic dyes from industrial wastewater.
Finding sustainable alternative energy resources and treating wastewater are the two most important issues that need to be solved. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has demonstrated a tremendous potential in bioelectricity generation with wastewater treatment. Since wastewater can be used as a source of electrolyte for the MFC, the salient point of this study was to investigate the effect of pH on bioelectricity production using various biomass feed (wastewater and river water) as the anolyte in a dual-chambered MFC. Maximum extents of power density (1459.02 mW·m−2), current density (1288.9 mA·m−2), and voltage (1132 mV) were obtained at pH 8 by using Bhairab river water as a feedstock in the MFC. A substantial extent of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (94%) as well as coulombic efficiency (41.7%) was also achieved in the same chamber at pH 8. The overall performance of the MFC, in terms of bioelectricity generation, COD removal, and coulombic efficiency, indicates a plausible utilization of the MFC for wastewater treatment as well as bioelectricity production.
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