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Performance of a pilot-scale continuous flow microbial electrolysis cell fed winery wastewater

  • Bioenergy and Biofuels
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Abstract

A pilot-scale (1,000 L) continuous flow microbial electrolysis cell was constructed and tested for current generation and COD removal with winery wastewater. The reactor contained 144 electrode pairs in 24 modules. Enrichment of an exoelectrogenic biofilm required ~60 days, which is longer than typically needed for laboratory reactors. Current generation was enhanced by ensuring adequate organic volatile fatty acid content (VFA/SCOD ≥ 0.5) and by raising the wastewater temperature (31 ± 1°C). Once enriched, SCOD removal (62 ± 20%) was consistent at a hydraulic retention time of 1 day (applied voltage of 0.9 V). Current generation reached a maximum of 7.4 A/m3 by the planned end of the test (after 100 days). Gas production reached a maximum of 0.19 ± 0.04 L/L/day, although most of the product gas was converted to methane (86 ± 6%). In order to increase hydrogen recovery in future tests, better methods will be needed to isolate hydrogen gas produced at the cathode. These results show that inoculation and enrichment procedures are critical to the initial success of larger-scale systems. Acetate amendments, warmer temperatures, and pH control during startup were found to be critical for proper enrichment of exoelectrogenic biofilms and improved reactor performance.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Andy Hoxsey, Sheldon Parker, Lynn Wantanabe, Stephanie Litty, and the maintenance crew of the Napa Wine Company for their tremendous support throughout this project. The authors also thank Nielson Construction for their expertise, patience, and flexibility during reactor construction and operation. This research was supported in part by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and the Paul L. Bush award administered by the Water Environment Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University, H2E Center, 212 Sackett Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Roland D. Cusick, Matthew D. Merrill, Maha Mehanna, Patrick D. Kiely & Bruce E. Logan

  2. Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA, 94596, USA

    Bill Bryan & Denny S. Parker

  3. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510275, China

    Guangli Liu

Authors
  1. Roland D. Cusick
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  2. Bill Bryan
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  3. Denny S. Parker
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  4. Matthew D. Merrill
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  5. Maha Mehanna
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  6. Patrick D. Kiely
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  7. Guangli Liu
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  8. Bruce E. Logan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruce E. Logan.

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Cusick, R.D., Bryan, B., Parker, D.S. et al. Performance of a pilot-scale continuous flow microbial electrolysis cell fed winery wastewater. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 89, 2053–2063 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3130-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3130-9

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