Recovery of chromium, copper and vanadium combined with electricity generation in two-chambered microbial fuel cells
Kartik S Aiyer
AI summary
70% confidenceMicrobial fuel cells (MFCs) were used to recover chromium, copper, and vanadium from wastewater, demonstrating a cost-effective method for heavy metal treatment and recovery.
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- System
- MFC
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Abstract
ABSTRACT Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer a promising solution towards recovery and treatment of heavy metal pollutants. In this study, two-chambered MFCs were employed for recovery of chromium, copper and vanadium (Cr (VI), Cu (II) and V (V)). One g/L concentrations of K2Cr2O7, CuCl2 and NaVO3 served as catholytes, while a mixed culture was used as anolyte. Cr (VI), Cu (II) and V (V) were reduced biologically into less toxic forms of Cr (III), Cu and V (IV) respectively. Power density and cathodic efficiency were calculated for each of the catholytes. Cr (VI) gave the maximum power density and cathodic efficiency due to its high redox potential. Current produced depended on the concentration of the catholyte. Over a period of time, biological reduction of catholytes lead to decrease in the metal concentrations, which demonstrated the application of MFC technology towards heavy metal treatment and recovery in a reasonably cost-effective manner.
Key findings
- Cr (VI) achieved the highest power density and cathodic efficiency due to its high redox potential.
- The concentration of the catholyte directly affected the current produced in the MFC.
- Biological reduction of catholytes led to a decrease in metal concentrations over time.
Keywords
Identifiers
- Journal
- FEMS Microbiology Letters
- Year
- 2020