Constructed wetlands operated as bioelectrochemical systems for improvement and control of wastewater treatment
, Marco Hartl
AI summary
82% confidenceThis PhD thesis investigates constructed wetlands (CWs) operated as bioelectrochemical systems (CW-BES), specifically as microbial fuel cells (CW-MFC) and microbial electrolysis cells (CW-MEC), for improved wastewater treatment. Eight meso-scale horizontal flow systems were constructed and tested for bioindication capability, conventional contaminant removal, and organic micropollutant degradation using real urban wastewater. Results demonstrated that CW-MEC and CW-MFC+ systems enhanced COD and ammonium removal by 7–22% compared to conventional CW controls, with selective improvements in pharmaceutical removal.
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- mixed culture from real urban wastewater
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Abstract
The objective of this work was the improvement and control of wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands operated as Microbial Fuel Cells (CW-MFCs) and Microbial Electrolysis Cells (CW-MECs). For this purpose, eight meso-scale experimental systems were constructed. The first experiment investigated the use of CW-MFC as a bioindicator, showing that it could be used as a qualitative alarm tool for sudden COD increases. The following three experiments investigated the removal of conventional contaminants as well as organic micropollutants (OMPs) using duplicates of CW-MEC, closed-circuit CW-MFC, open-circuit CW-MFC and conventional CW-control. Results showed that CW-MEC and CW-MFC+ increased the removal of COD (7-13%) and ammonium (18-22%) when compared to the control systems. Regarding OMPs, carbamazepine, diclofenac and naproxen removal was increased by 10-17% in CW-MFC+ and CW-MEC when compared to the control, while ibuprofen removal was similar amongst treatments. Additionally, a microbial activity analysis showed that activity was 4-34% higher in CW-MFC+ as compared to CW-control, and a microbial community analysis indicated that anode and cathode communities in CW-MEC were significantly different tq other treatments, seemingly due to the effects of electrolysis. In CW-MFC+ only cathode communities were different. probably due to sampling issues at the anodes. El objetivo de esta tesis es la mejora de la eficiencia y control del tratamiento de aguas residuales mediante humedales construidos operados como sistemas bioelectroquímicos (CW-BES), tanto en su configuración de celdas microbianas de combustible (CW-MFC) como en configuración de celdas microbianas electrolíticas (CW-MEC). Para este propósito, ocho CW-BES a escala experimental de mesocosmo fueron construidos. Durante el primer experimento se investigó el uso de CW-BES operados como celdas CW-MFC como herramienta de bioindicación de la carga orgánica. En los subsiguientes experimentos se abordó el estudio de la mejora del tratamiento de contaminantes convencionales y microcontaminantes mediante la operación de CW-BES y CW-MFC y se comparó con la eliminación de los mismos con sistemas de humedales control (CW-Control). Los resultados mostraron que los CW-MEC y los CW-MFC incrementaban la eficiencia de tratamiento entre un 7-13% y entre el 18-22% respectivamente a la eliminación de la materia orgánica y el amonio. En relación a la eliminación de microcontaminantes, la eliminación de carbamacepina, diclofenaco y naproxeno mejoró entre un 1 O y un 17% en los CW-BES comparado con los sistemas control, mientras que la eliminación de ibuprofeno no mostró diferencias. El estudio de la actividad microbiana en los sistemas experimentales mostró que ésta aumenta entre un 4 y un 34% en los CW-BES. El estudio de las comunidades microbianas en los sistemas experimentales mostró diferencias significativas tanto en zona anódica como catódica de los CW-BES, comparado con los sistemas experimentales control.
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- Unknown journal
- Year
- 2020