Cellulose, which accounts for more than half of the carbon content in plants, has become a popular feedstock for biofuel production. In this work, direct electricity generation from dissolved cellulosic biomass in an alkaline fuel cell is explored without energy‐intensive process. The effect of different cellulose dissolution solvents on the electricity production is investigated. Results show dissolution treatment can remarkably affect the fuel cell performance. When NaOH/urea/thiourea is chosen as a solvent, the specific capacity of cellulose is about sixfold higher than that using only NaOH as solvent. The limiting current density and the maximum power density reach 0.85 mA cm−2 and 0.07 mW cm−2, respectively. This power density surpasses those of any existing biotic or abiotic designs. Electrochemical characterizations demonstrate that the remarkable activity improvement towards the cellulose oxidation reaction in NaOH/urea/thiourea aqueous solution is due to the lower charger transfer resistance and higher energy transfer efficiency.
To obtain economically sustainable wastewater treatment, advanced nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater and the feasibility of achieving and stabilizing short-cut nitrification and denitrification were investigated in a pilot-plant sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with a working volume of 54 m(3). Advanced nitrogen removal, from summer to winter, with effluent TN lower than 3 mg/L and nitrogen removal efficiency above 98% was successfully achieved in pulsed-feed SBR. Through long-term application of process control in pulsed-feed SBR, nitrite accumulation reached above 95% at normal temperature of 25 degrees C. Even in winter, at the lowest temperature of 13 degrees C, nitrite was still the end production of nitrification and nitrite accumulation was higher than 90%. On the basis of achieving advanced nitrogen removal, short-cut nitrification and denitrification was also successfully achieved. Compare to the pulse-feed SBR with fixed time control, the dosage of carbon source and energy consumption in pulsed-feed SBR with process control were saved about 30% and 15% respectively. In pulsed-feed SBR with process control, nitrogen removal efficiency was greatly improved. Moreover, consumption of power and carbon source was further saved.
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