Remediation of acid mine drainage using microbial fuel cell based on sludge anaerobic fermentation

The aim of this work is to utilize the microbial fuel cell for removing metals and sulfate from acid mine drainage using sewage sludge organics and simultaneous electricity generation. The enriched sulfate-reducing mixed culture was used as the cathodic biofilm and the sludge as the substrate. Under anaerobic conditions, 71.2% sulfate, 99.7% heavy metals, and 51.6% total chemical oxygen demand are removed at an electrode spacing of 4 cm and a sludge concentration of 30% (v/v) after 10-day treatment. A maximum power density of 51.3 mW/m² is obtained. Approximately 79.5% of the dissipated sulfate is converted to element sulfur or polysulfides. The sulfide concentration is kept at below 20 mg-S/L. The concentrations of heavy metals are in the range of 0.02-0.06 mg/L in the effluent, which are far below the levels required by Chinese legislation. Microbial community analysis reveals that sulfate-reducing bacteria in Desulfuromonadales are dominant on the cathodic biofilm at the end of experiments. This study shows the potential of synchronous degradation of residual sludge and treatment of AMD with electricity harvesting.