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Updated: Dec 4, 2025
09:50
Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
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Enhancing bio-cathodic nitrate removal through anode-cathode polarity inversion together with regulating the anode
Zhufan Lin1, Shaoan Cheng1, Zhen Yu1
1State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, PR China.
The Science of the Total Environment
|October 24, 2020
Summary
A novel polarity inversion method rapidly cultivates high-performance nitrate-reducing bio-cathodes. This approach enhances electrogenic bacteria and nitrate-reducing bacteria biomass, significantly boosting nitrate removal efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Electrochemistry
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Bio-cathodic nitrate removal offers a cost-effective solution for nitrate contamination.
- Current methods suffer from long start-up times and suboptimal performance, hindering practical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a rapid cultivation strategy for high-performance nitrate-reducing bio-cathodes.
- To investigate the impact of anode-cathode polarity inversion on bio-electrochemical activity.
- To explore the correlation between bio-anodic oxidation and bio-cathodic reduction performance.
Main Methods:
- Anode-cathode polarity inversion technique applied under varying external resistances.
- Analysis of bio-electrochemical nitrate removal rates.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing and bacterial biomass quantification.
Main Results:
- Achieved a high bio-electrochemical nitrate removal rate of 2.74 ± 0.03 gNO3--N m-2 d-1.
- Demonstrated a 4.0-fold increase in removal rate compared to low-activity bioelectrodes.
- Established a linear correlation between reversed bio-anodic oxidation and bio-cathodic nitrate removal performance.
Conclusions:
- The polarity inversion method effectively cultivates high-performance nitrate-reducing bio-cathodes.
- Increased bacterial biomass of electrogenic and nitrate-reducing bacteria drives enhanced removal.
- Findings suggest electrogenic biofilms play a dual role in nitrate reduction and system promotion, enabling functional bio-cathode development.
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