Anaerobic digestion and electromethanogenic microbial electrolysis cell integrated system: Increased stability and recovery of ammonia and methane

Abstract

AD and an electromethanogenic biocathode were operated as an integrated system. Methane production of 79 L m-3 d-1 was achieved in the biocathode. Ammonium removal in the MEC anode compartment achieved 14.46 g N-NH 4 + m-2 d-1. The MEC stabilised the AD when the organic and nitrogen loading rates were doubled.

Improved hydrogen production in the single-chamber microbial electrolysis cell with inhibition of methanogenesis under alkaline conditions

“…22 The copy number of mcrA gene within the cathodic biolm in the MEC greatly varied because of different substrates, inoculums, and operation conditions. [30][31][32][33] The mcrA gene copy number in the cathodic biolm of our MEC was similar to that of the mini-MEC with the inoculums of anaerobic digestion sludge at pH 7.0 ($10 8 copy per cm 2 ). 30 The relative abundance of Methanobacteriaceae was not equivalent to the absolute quantity of Methanobacteriaceae in the microbial community.…”

“…37 Corynebacterium was detected with the relative abundance of 32.8% in the bacterial community in the anodic biolm of MFC fed with glucose and p-nitrophenol at pH ¼ 7.0. 31 As a strictly anaerobic and an alkaliphilic bacterium, Alkalibacter has been identied in the alkaline MFC and MEC. 16 Therefore, Geoalkalibacter and Corynebacterium identied in this study might have high activity under alkaline condition.…”

Anaerobic digestion and the circular economy

“…The integration of AD embedded in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) with an electromethanogenic biocathode results in increased stability and robustness of the AD process against organic and nitrogen overloads. This results in improved effluent quality and the recovery of ammonium, while at the same time the biogas is upgraded (Cerrillo et al 2018).…”

Microbial electrolysis cell as an emerging versatile technology: a review on its potential application, advance and challenge

“…The effect of the applied voltage on the enhancement of CH 4 production in five studies: R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5, which tested different types of organic matter as a substrate. R OC (open‐circuit), R CC (closed‐circuit, 0.8 V), and WAS (waste‐activated sludge).…”

“…Because sewage contains a lot of complexity and cannot be easily degraded, the combination of AD and BES should be an strategy. 76 Cerrillo et al 67 connected a thermophilic lab-scale AD fed with pig slurry with the bioanode compartment of a two-chambered MEC in series. The result showed that ammonium removal in the anode compartment of the MEC reached 14.46 g N-NH 4 + m −2 day −1 .…”