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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
Sustainable electricity generation and ammonium removal by microbial fuel cell with a microalgae assisted cathode at
1Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Power generation and nutrient removal by a microbial fuel cell assisted with an algae growth in cathode chamber were evaluated along with continuous measurements of dissolved oxygen (DO) at various light and temperature conditions. Under light/dark regime of 18/6 hrs, a sustainable voltage of 0.31 V was observed with sufficient DO in the dark period. However, maximum NH4+-N removal rate (22.7 mg/L.d) and removal percentage (95.5%) was observed with 12/12 light/dark regime. Voltage and nitrogen removal increased with higher photon flux density up to 92 µE m-2 s-1, and the highest 0.35 V voltage and NH4+-N removal rate of 26.5 mg/L.d were obtained. A higher temperature condition was favorable to improve the performance of algae cathode MFCs, but no substantial influence was observed relatively (19-35 °C). This study suggests that algae-cathode MFCs could continuously generate sustainable power with nutrient removal at optimum light and temperature conditions.
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