Microbial fuel cells in the house: a study on real household wastewater samples for treatment and power
Microbial fuel cells in the house: a study on real household wastewater samples for treatment and power
In line with the global movement towards sustainable buildings and dwellings, this work investigated the potential for integrating microbial fuel cell technology into future architecture. Various types of domestic greywater and wastewater from five different sources (bathroom, kitchen sink, dishwasher, laundry washing machine and urinal) were tested as feedstock in otherwise identical MFCs. In terms of power output, urine outperformed other feedstock types by producing a maximum power of 3.91 ± 0.27 mW (97.8 ± 6.8 W m−3). The urine-fed MFCs showed a COD removal rate of 38.9 ± 1.1% and coulombic efficiency of 15.1 ± 3.4%. When urine was diluted with either bathwater or tap water, which represents a realistic scenario where flushing toilets are installed, results showed that MFC power output decreased with increasing dilutions. Interestingly, when commercial bleach was added in full concentration, although the level of instantaneous power dropped, performance recovered to the previous levels within 48 h after this was replaced with fresh urine. This suggests that the MFC systems are fairly robust and can be resistant to short-term domestic chemical exposure. These novel findings provide a stepping-stone to more sustainable future buildings and cities with fully integreated MFC technology.
Domestic cleaning product, Feedstock, Greywater, Living architecture, Microbial fuel cell (MFC), Sustainable homes, Urine
You, Jiseon
1442df08-0ea4-4134-b6be-6b773b05f58d
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, Ioannis A.
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
December 2021
You, Jiseon
1442df08-0ea4-4134-b6be-6b773b05f58d
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, Ioannis A.
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
You, Jiseon, Greenman, John and Ieropoulos, Ioannis A.
(2021)
Microbial fuel cells in the house: a study on real household wastewater samples for treatment and power.
Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 48, [101618].
(doi:10.1016/j.seta.2021.101618).
Abstract
In line with the global movement towards sustainable buildings and dwellings, this work investigated the potential for integrating microbial fuel cell technology into future architecture. Various types of domestic greywater and wastewater from five different sources (bathroom, kitchen sink, dishwasher, laundry washing machine and urinal) were tested as feedstock in otherwise identical MFCs. In terms of power output, urine outperformed other feedstock types by producing a maximum power of 3.91 ± 0.27 mW (97.8 ± 6.8 W m−3). The urine-fed MFCs showed a COD removal rate of 38.9 ± 1.1% and coulombic efficiency of 15.1 ± 3.4%. When urine was diluted with either bathwater or tap water, which represents a realistic scenario where flushing toilets are installed, results showed that MFC power output decreased with increasing dilutions. Interestingly, when commercial bleach was added in full concentration, although the level of instantaneous power dropped, performance recovered to the previous levels within 48 h after this was replaced with fresh urine. This suggests that the MFC systems are fairly robust and can be resistant to short-term domestic chemical exposure. These novel findings provide a stepping-stone to more sustainable future buildings and cities with fully integreated MFC technology.
Text
1-s2.0-S2213138821006329-main (1)
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 14 September 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 29 September 2021
Published date: December 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 FET-OPEN Living Architecture Project (grant no. 686585).
Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Dr Barbara Imhof and Waltraut Hoheneder (LIQUIFER Systems Group GmbH) for providing ceramic materials used for experiments. This research was funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 FET-OPEN Living Architecture Project (grant no. 686585).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Domestic cleaning product, Feedstock, Greywater, Living architecture, Microbial fuel cell (MFC), Sustainable homes, Urine
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 454752
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454752
ISSN: 2213-1388
PURE UUID: b27248c1-de57-414a-9ef6-7390ea3e9ef2
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Date deposited: 22 Feb 2022 17:41
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:04
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Author:
Jiseon You
Author:
John Greenman
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