MESSAI.iO

AI summary

70% confidence

This MEC study the global shift toward net-zero emissions necessitates resource recovery from wet waste. In this study, we demonstrate the first feasibility of combining pilot-scale microbial electrolytic cells (MECs) with hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) for simultaneous post-hydrothermal liquefaction wastewater (PHW) treatment and efficient hydrogen (H₂) production to meet biocrude upgrading requirements.

Generated by MESSAI extraction pipeline · review against source PDF

Generic MECRepresentative model
Click to animate flow
loading 3D model…

Representative MEC — matched on the paper’s system type only, not its reactor or geometry.

Extraction

Reported parameters

5 extracted values

View extracted values

Open in lab for full controls, parameter editing, and template overlays.

Open in lab →

What they did

System
MEC

What worked

No outcome metrics extracted yet.

Abstract

The global shift toward net-zero emissions necessitates resource recovery from wet waste. In this study, we demonstrate the first feasibility of combining pilot-scale microbial electrolytic cells (MECs) with hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) for simultaneous post-hydrothermal liquefaction wastewater (PHW) treatment and efficient hydrogen (H₂) production to meet biocrude upgrading requirements. Long-term single reactor operation revealed that fixed anode potential enabled rapid startup, and low catholyte pH and high salinity were effective in suppression of cathodic methanogenesis and acetogenesis - resulting in high current density of 16.6 A m⁻² and 9.3 A m⁻² when feeding synthetic wastewater and PHW respectively. Additionally, the anode biofilm exhibited spatial variations in response to local environmental conditions. Onsite parallel or serial operations of multiple MECs showed good performance using actual PHW with a record-high H2 production rate of 0.5 L LR day⁻¹ for MEC over 10 liters scale, and the optimal chemical oxygen demand (COD)-to-H2 yield reached 0.127 kg-H2 per kg-COD, supporting a self-sufficient, closed-loop upgrade to jet fuel.

Key findings

  • 6 A m⁻² and 9.
  • 3 A m⁻² when feeding synthetic wastewater and PHW respectively.
  • Onsite parallel or serial operations of multiple MECs showed good performance using actual PHW with a record-high H2 production rate of 0.
  • 5 L LR day⁻¹ for MEC over 10 liters scale, and the optimal chemical oxygen demand (COD)-to-H2 yield reached 0.

Keywords

Hydrothermal liquefactionMicrobial electrolysis cellWastewaterHydrothermal circulationAnodeWaste management

Identifiers

DOI
10.1016/j.watres.2024.122644
PubMed
39461212
Journal
Water research
Year
2024