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Electron donor availability controls scale up of anodic biofilms
Secil Tutar1, Abdelrhman Mohamed1, Phuc T Ha1
1The Gene and Linda Voiland, School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States.
Bioelectrochemistry (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|December 16, 2019
Summary
Scaling up bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) depends on electron donor availability. High organic loads enable current generation with larger electrodes, but lower loads decrease current density as electrode size increases.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Electrochemistry
- Microbiology
Background:
- Scaling up bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is crucial for practical applications but faces significant challenges.
- Understanding limitations in anodic biofilm scaling is key to advancing BES technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the limitations of scaling up anodic biofilms in BESs.
- To determine the influence of electron donor availability on anodic biofilm performance during scale-up.
Main Methods:
- Anodic biofilms were enriched on electrodes of varying sizes (15 cm² to 466 cm²).
- Current densities were quantified under different electron donor concentrations and chemical oxygen demand (COD) loadings.
- Microbial community analysis was performed to assess biofilm composition.
Main Results:
- Current generation scaled effectively with anodic biofilms at high COD loadings (1500 mg/L).
- Current density decreased with increasing electrode size at lower COD loadings.
- Microbial communities were independent of electrode size but influenced by enrichment medium composition.
Conclusions:
- Electron donor availability is a critical factor limiting the scale-up of anodic biofilms in BESs.
- Optimizing COD loading is essential for efficient large-scale BES design.
- Results offer a framework for translating lab-scale BES measurements to practical, large-scale systems.
