The organic content of municipal solid waste has long been an attractive source of renewable energy, mainly as a solid fuel in waste-to-energy plants. This study focuses on the potential to use microbial fuel cells to convert municipal solid waste organics into energy using various operational conditions. The results showed that two-chamber microbial fuel cells with carbon felt and carbon felt allocation had a higher maximal power density (20.12 and 30.47 mW m(-2) for 1.5 and 4 L, respectively) than those of other electrode plate allocations. Most two-chamber microbial fuel cells (1.5 and 4 L) had a higher maximal power density than single-chamber ones with corresponding electrode plate allocations. Municipal solid waste with alkali hydrolysis pre-treatment and K3Fe(CN)6 as an electron acceptor improved the maximal power density to 1817.88 mW m(-2) (~0.49% coulomb efficiency, from 0.05-0.49%). The maximal power density from experiments using individual 1.5 and 4 L two-chamber microbial fuel cells, and serial and parallel connections of 1.5 and 4 L two-chamber microbial fuel cells, was found to be in the order of individual 4 L (30.47 mW m(-2)) > serial connection of 1.5 and 4 L (27.75) > individual 1.5 L (20.12) > parallel connection of 1.5 and 4 L (17.04) two-chamber microbial fuel cells . The power density using municipal solid waste microbial fuel cells was compared with information in the literature and discussed.

Abstract. Leakage of petroleum products, gasoline and diesel, at gas station had become one of major soil contamination sources in Taiwan. Total number of 154 petroleum contaminated gas stations was successively ascertained since the implementation of Soil and Groundwater Remediation Act in 2002. One of the contaminated gas stations, mainly diesel polluted, was studied for the feasibility of microwave-assisted thermal remediation. The average of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHt) in hotspot of this site was 2,845 mg/kg exceeding regulatory limit (1,000 mg/kg). According to the groundwater condition in the site, soil samples treated by microwave radiation with and without water as saturation and vadose zones were respectively tested in laboratory. The results show that a 12-min microwave energy can heat soil with water to reach 235 °C and degrade its TPHt to 934 mg/kg; additionally, a 5-min microwave energy can heat soil without water to reach 220 °C and degrade its TPHt to 520 mg/kg. Both soil samples passed TPHt regulatory limit and microwave remediation with fast and effective advantages for petroleum products contaminated soil was also verified.

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