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Increasing the recovery of heavy metal ions using two microbial fuel cells operating in parallel with no power output

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Abstract

The present study aimed to improve the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) by using an intermittent connection period without power output. Connecting two MFCs in parallel improved the voltage output of both MFCs until the voltage stabilized. Electric energy was accumulated in two MFCs containing heavy metal ions copper, zinc, and cadmium as electron acceptors by connection in parallel for several hours. The system was then switched to discharge mode with single MFCs with a 1000-Ω resistor connected between anode and cathode. This method successfully achieved highly efficient removal of heavy metal ions. Even when the anolyte was run in sequencing batch mode, the insufficient voltage and power needed to recover heavy metals from the cathode of MFCs can be complemented by the developed method. The average removal ratio of heavy metal ions in sequencing batch mode was 67 % after 10 h. When the discharge time was 20 h, the removal ratios of zinc, copper, and cadmium were 91.5, 86.7, and 83.57 %, respectively; the average removal ratio of these ions after 20 h was only 52.1 % for the control group. Therefore, the average removal efficiency of heavy metal ions increased by 1.75 times using the electrons stored from the bacteria under the open-circuit conditions in parallel mode. Electrochemical impedance data showed that the anode had lower solution resistance and polarization resistance in the parallel stage than as a single MFC, and capacitance increased with the length of time in parallel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Engineering Research Center of Environmental Material for Water Purification, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Xiaohui Wang, Jing Li, Hairti Tursun, Rui Liu, Yanmei Gao & Yuan Li

  2. Caofeidian Office of Heibei Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Caofeidian, 063200, China

    Zhao Wang

Authors
  1. Xiaohui Wang
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  2. Jing Li
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  3. Zhao Wang
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  4. Hairti Tursun
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  5. Rui Liu
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  6. Yanmei Gao
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  7. Yuan Li
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Correspondence to Hairti Tursun.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the International Science Technology Cooperation Program of China (No. 2013DFR60250), the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51408020), and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project (Z15111000210000).

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Communicated by Bingcai Pan

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Wang, X., Li, J., Wang, Z. et al. Increasing the recovery of heavy metal ions using two microbial fuel cells operating in parallel with no power output. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 20368–20377 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7045-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7045-y

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