Spectral optimisation enhances simultaneous wastewater treatment, power generation, and carbon sequestration in algal microbial fuel cells treating biogas slurry.
AI summary
75% confidenceThis study investigates the impact of light colour on algal microbial fuel cells (AMFCs) performance in treating biogas slurry, finding that blue light maximises contaminant removal and red light enables peak power density. The optimised light spectra enhance Chlorella photosynthesis, increasing cathodic dissolved oxygen concentration and reducing internal resistance. This results in improved coulombic efficiency and accelerated organic degradation.
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Abstract
Algal microbial fuel cells (AMFCs) offer a promising platform for simultaneous wastewater treatment, renewable energy generation, and carbon capture. This study investigates the critical role of light colour (natural, red, yellow, green, blue; 4,500 Lux) in optimising AMFC performance using Chlorella -based biocathodes and biogas slurry as anodic substrate. Results demonstrate that blue light maximised contaminant removal, achieving 95.70% Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and 96.28% Ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) elimination, while red light enabled peak power density (570.86 mW·m -2 ). Electrochemical and kinetic analyses demonstrated that the blue/red spectra optimised AMFC performance by enhancing Chlorella photosynthesis. This increased the cathodic dissolved oxygen concentration, driving a reduction in internal resistance and a remarkable 55.1% (blue) and 48.5% (red) improvement in coulombic efficiency (CE) over natural light. The higher efficiency was directly linked to the enrichment of electroactive Proteobacteria (e.g. +11.89% under blue light). Concurrently, the degradation of organics was accelerated and was well-described by first-order kinetics (R 2 > 0.98). Furthermore, blue/red light intensified carbon sequestration, increasing CO 2 fixation rates to 17.99% (blue) and 19.55% (red) and elevating chlorophyll content by 30.8% (blue). Microbial community analysis confirmed light-specific shifts, with red light promoting microbial richness and blue light optimising community stability. This work establishes spectral control as a strategic tool to amplify AMFC efficacy in wastewater valorisation, energy recovery, and carbon neutrality. Future studies should explore hybrid light regimes and scalable configurations to advance practical implementation.