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Power generation from cassava alcohol wastewater: effects of pretreatment and anode aeration

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Abstract

Cassava alcohol wastewater produced from the bioethanol production industry is carbohydrate-rich wastewater with large quantities of insoluble organic compounds. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were used for electricity recovery and pollutants removal from this wastewater. Different pretreatment methods (solid–liquid separation, ultrasonication, pre-fermentation) and anode-aeration modes were explored in MFCs aimed to enhance the efficiency of power generation and pollutants removal. Pre-fermentation was found to be the most effective pretreatment method. A maximum power density of 437.13 ± 15.6 mW/m2 and TCOD removal of 62.5 ± 3.5 % were achieved using the pre-fermented wastewater, 150 and 20 % higher than the un-pretreated control. Aeration in anode chamber could promote the hydrolysis of organic matter and production of VFAs in the raw wastewater, and increase TCOD removal and power density. Pre-fermentation coupled with halfway anode aeration may be a feasible strategy to enhance power generation and pollutants removal from the cassava wastewater in MFCs.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by “National Natural Science Foundation of China” (No. 21077012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Xiangchun Quan, Kun Tao, Ying Mei & Xiaoman Jiang

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  1. Xiangchun Quan
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  2. Kun Tao
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  3. Ying Mei
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  4. Xiaoman Jiang
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Correspondence to Xiangchun Quan.

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Quan, X., Tao, K., Mei, Y. et al. Power generation from cassava alcohol wastewater: effects of pretreatment and anode aeration. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 37, 2325–2332 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-014-1210-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-014-1210-9

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