Source: OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
MICROBIAL FUEL CELLS FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION, DESALINATION, AND TREATMENT OF CELLULOSIC BIOMASS, WASTES AND WASTEWATERS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1003938
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2014
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2019
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Project Director
Christy, A.
Recipient Organization
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
1680 MADISON AVENUE
WOOSTER,OH 44691
Performing Department
Food, Agric and Biological Engineering
Non Technical Summary
Microbial fuel cells can generate small but sustainable electrical power by harnessing the natural abilities of some microbes. This research specifically uses the microbes found in the digestive tract of cows which are well suited to using cellulosic materials such as hay and grass as feed and have also been recently found to be able to generate external electricity. The goal is to improve this technology by various means to increase power production, enhance wastewater treatment efficiency, and provide desalination for brackish water or brines. Potential impacts include more economical applications for bio-energy, reduced dependence on non-renewable energy sources, treatment of lignocellulosic agricultural wastes, treatment of wastewaters including landfill leachates, desalination of saltwater, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
40%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
4024099202030%
4034099103070%
Knowledge Area
403 - Waste Disposal, Recycling, and Reuse; 402 - Engineering Systems and Equipment;

Subject Of Investigation
4099 - Microorganisms, general/other;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 1030 - Cellular biology;
Goals / Objectives
The long term goal is to develop a microbial energy conversion process that uses cellulosic waste and other wastewaters as its feedstock, does not generate intermediate greenhouse gas byproducts such as methane or carbon dioxide, treats various wastewaters including landfill leachates, pulp and paper waste slurries, and brines, plus produces sufficient electrical power for applications where other forms of electricity are not readily available. The overall objectives of this research are to:(A.) Expand scientific knowledge of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a bio-energy option.(B.) Increase power production in MFCs(C.) Increase wastewater treatment efficiencies in MFCs
Project Methods
Ohio State's Microbial Fuel Cell team (an interdisciplinary group of agricultural / biological engineers, microbiologists, and animal scientists) earlier discovered that naturally occurring microorganisms in cow rumen fluid can anaerobically convert the chemical energy in cellulosic biomass directly into electric current by harnessing electrons from the microbes' electron transport mechanisms. This project seeks to better understand the biology of MFCs and to expand fuel cell performance. Specific research tasks will include:(1.) Developing methodologies to analyze and quantify cathodic limitations in microbial fuel cell performance.(2.) Optimizing MFC designs that can efficiently convert hydrolysis products of cellulose, hemicellulose, and starch to volatile fatty acids and eventually to electricity.(3.) Identifying the key microorganisms involved in the conversion of the above feedstocks leading to bioelectricity generation.(4.) Developing and testing various methods to increase oxygen content in the catholyte solutions for use in microbial fuel cells(5.) Exploring the use of biocathodes in MFCs(6.) Determining sustainability of MFCs as a power source and wastewater treatment and desalination system through performing Life Cycle Analysis and benefit-cost analyses(7.) Designing and comparing performance of various configurations of microbial fuel cells including fed batch, continuous flow, and stacked systems(8.) Mathematically modeling the microbial fuel cells to enhance understanding of the overall system and to guide scale-up.We will examine microbial hydrolysis as a separate step to break down these polymers to a spectrum of sugars and volatile fatty acids that can be readily used by anaerobic microorganisms in MFCs for electricity production. It is perceived that microbial hydrolytic pretreatment may be integrated into a single bioprocess whereby the selected cultures will be performing hydrolytic decomposition as well as anaerobic respiration within the MFC system.We will use multiple microbiological approaches for developing enrichment cultures in anaerobic bioreactors, serum bottles, and relatively small-scale (<100 ml working volume) MFCs. We will retrieve samples from environments with past histories of biomass decomposition. We will also use herbivorous animal waste and rumen fluid as source inocula. To select the appropriate microbial populations for plant polymer biodegradation and efficient electricity generation, we will use a factorial design to test a variety of inocula taken from appropriate environments and initially enriched with different external anaerobic terminal electron acceptors and with cellulose and its hydrolytic/fermentation products. To advance scientific knowledge and technology development of MFCs, we will use both cultivation-based and molecular biology techniques to identify and characterize the key microorganisms and screen their enzymes vital to conversion of polymers to electricity. We will initially establish separate culture enrichment lines for each polymer to be tested (cellulose, hemicellulose, and starch) and ascertain that the anaerobic metabolism of these substrates is coupled with electricity production. A critical component of the engineering design will be the design and optimization of stackable current collectors. Due to the thermodynamic limitations and internal resistance of the MFCs, stacking multiple modules will be necessary to achieve useful power output.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is energy researchers at universities and national laboratories, graduate and undergraduate students, and government agency personnel in environmental, natural resources, and energy departments. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided training and professional development for the undergraduate and graduate students who have worked on aspects of it, along with two part-time post doctoral researchers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated via publication in archival journals and presentations at research conferences. Some of the material developed under this project was presented annually in a bioenergy lecture module in an undergraduate thermodynamics course (FABENG 3120). More extensive coverage of this topic was presented in a graduate bioenergy course (FABENG 5540). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? (A.) Expand scientific knowledge of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a bioenergy option: The research team has continued to study the use of MFCs as a treatment technology for textile dye wastewaters. (B.) Increase power production in MFCs: Improved performance of MFCs was observed using fabricated graphite anode electrodes that had been modified to have teethed surfaces; i.e., higher surface areas than with conventional, commercially available graphite electrodes with polished smooth surfaces. Rumen microorganisms as biocatalysts produced electrical current from both glucose (soluble organic) and cellulose (particulate organic) substrates in two chambered MFCs. With glucose, power generation in MFCs with a surface area enhanced fabricated electrode was doubled reaching a maximum power density of 1,020 mW/m3 as compared to MFCs with conventional, unmodified graphite electrodes. With cellulose, power generation with the fabricated electrodes more than doubled yielding a maximum power density of 2,120 mW/m3 as compared to MFCs with unmodified electrodes. The results show that modifying the surface area and topology of the anode electrode enhances MFC performance. (C.) Increase wastewater treatment efficiencies: Use of MFCs to treat textile dye wastewaters continues to be explored. Two different kind of reactive dyes, azo dye reactive black (RB) and non azo dye reactive blue (RBl), were treated in the MFCs. Three different concentrations of dyes (50, 100 and 200 ppm) were applied. Rumen microorganisms were used as exoelectrogens in the MFC's anodic chamber. Decolorization potential of the rumen consortia was determined using different carbon sources and different salt concentrations. Electricity generation and color removal was observed over time in the microbial fuel cells. Rate of decolorization depended upon type of electron donors and salt concentrations. The observations revealed that azo dye required less time to degrade (2 hours) as compared to non azo dye (4.5 hours). It was also observed that azo dyes can be degraded with no absorption in bacterial biomass as compared to non azo dyes which did cause the biomass to experience dye absorption. Obtained results suggested that MFCs can be used for textile wastewater treatment. It is likely that the rate of decolorization can be improved by using optimized electron donors and running the system in continuous mode.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Saba, B.; Khan, M.; Christy, A.D.; Kjellerup, B.V. 2019. Microbial phyto-power systems  A sustainable integration of phytoremediation and microbial fuel cells. Bioelectrochemistry 127(2019):1-11.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, T. Park, Z. Yu, K Li, O.H. Tuovinen. 2018. Decolorization of reactive black 5 and reactive blue 4 dyes in microbial fuel cells. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 2018:1017-1033.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, Z. Yu. and A.C. Co. 2017. Sustainable power generation from bacterio-algal microbial fuel cells: An overview. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 73:75-84.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, Z. Yu, A.C. Co, and T. Park. 2017. Simultaneous power generation and desalination of microbial desalination cells using Nannochloropsis salina (marine algae) versus potassium ferricyanide as catholytes. Environmental Engineering Science 34(3): 185-196.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, Z. Yu, A.C. Co, R. Islam, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2017. Characterization and performance of anodic mixed culture biofilms in submersed microbial fuel cells. Bioelectrochemistry 113:79-84.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, and M. Jabeen. 2016. Kinetic and enzymatic decolorization of industrial dyes utilizing plant-based biosorbents: A review. Environmental Engineering Science 33(9):601-614.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Saba, B., M. Jabeen, A. Khalid, I. Aziz, and A.D. Christy. 2015. Effectiveness of rice agricultural waste, microbes, and wetland plants in the removal of reactive black-5 azo dye in microcosm constructed wetlands. International Journal of Phytoremediation 17(11): 1060-1067. DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2014.1003787.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Saba, B., and Christy, A. D. 2015. Comparison of biological catholyte to chemical catholyte in microbial desalination cells. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting. ASABE Paper No.15-2190931.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Faze, N. R., Girme, G. M., Bower, T. A., Christy, A. D., and Bakshi, B. R. 2014. Life cycle analysis of a microbial desalination cell. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting. ASABE Paper No.14-1913148.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Girme, G. M., Faze, N. R., Bower, T. A., and Christy, A. D. 2014. Algae powered microbial desalination cells. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting. ASABE Paper No.14-1913232.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Walter, R. R., Bower, T. A., and Christy, A. D. 2014. Enhancing the renewable power output of microbial fuel cells by applying an electric field. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting. ASABE Paper No.14-1912916.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wang, Y. C., Bower, T. A., and Christy, A. D. 2014. Effect of catholytes on performance of blood-based microbial fuel cells. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting. ASABE Paper No.14-1913042.


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Bioenergy researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, K-12 students and K-12 science teachers; government agency personnel in agricultural, environmental, natural resources, and energy departments; consulting engineers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Publication in archival journal What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Research will continue on using microbial fuel cells to treat different types of wastes while simultaneously producing electricity.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under the first goal (A.) Expand scientific knowledge of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a bioenergy option: The research team has continued to study the use of MFCs as a treatment technology for textile dye wastewaters. (B.) Increase power production in MFCs: Improved performance of MFCs was observed using fabricated graphite anode electrodes that had been modified to have teethed surfaces; i.e., higher surface areas than with conventional, commercially available graphite electrodes with polished smooth surfaces. Rumen microorganisms as biocatalysts produced electrical current from both glucose (soluble organic) and cellulose (particulate organic) substrates in two chambered MFCs. With glucose, power generation in MFCs with a surface area enhanced fabricated electrode was 105% higher and achieved the maximum power density of 1,020 mW/m3 as compared to MFCs with conventional, unmodified graphite electrodes. With cellulose, power generation with the fabricated electrodes was 123% higher with a maximum power density of 2,120 mW/m3 as compared to MFCs with unmodified electrodes. The results show that modifying the surface area and topology of the anode electrode enhances MFC performance. (C.) Increase wastewater treatment efficiencies: Use of MFCs to treat textile dye wastewaters continues to be explored. Two different kind of reactive dyes, azo dye reactive black (RB) and non azo dye reactive blue (RBl), were treated in the MFCs. Three different concentrations of dyes (50, 100 and 200 ppm) were applied. Rumen microorganisms were used as exoelectrogens in the MFC's anodic chamber. Decolorization potential of the rumen consortia was determined using different carbon sources and different salt concentrations. Electricity generation and color removal was observed over time in the microbial fuel cells. Rate of decolorization depended upon type of electron donors and salt concentrations. The observations revealed that azo dye required less time to degrade (2 hours) as compared to non azo dye (4.5 hours). It was also observed that azo dyes can be degraded at twice faster rate with no absorption in bacterial biomass as compared to non azo dyes which did cause the biomass to experience dye absorption. Obtained results suggested that MFCs can be used for textile wastewater treatment. It is likely that the rate of decolorization can be improved by using optimized electron donors and running the system in continuous mode.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, T. Park, Z. Yu, K Li, O.H. Tuovinen. 2018. Decolorization of reactive black 5 and reactive blue 4 dyes in microbial fuel cells. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 2018:1-17.


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Bioenergy researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, K-12 students and K-12 science teachers; government agency personnel in agricultural, environmental, natural resources, and energy departments; consulting engineers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate students completed their studeis and graduated in 2017 (Beenish Saba and Ke Li) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated in refereed journal articles. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Research will continue on using microbial fuel cells to treat different types of wastes while simultaneously producing electricity.v

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under the first goal (A.) Expand scientific knowledge of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a bioenergy option: The research team has continued to study the effects of increasing electrode surface area on MFC performance, and has further delved into using MFCs as a treatment technology for textile dye wastewaters and as a technology to be combined with constructed wetlands for enhanced wastewater treatment. (B.) Increase power production in MFCs: No progress during this reporting period (C.) Increase wastewater treatment efficiencies: Use of MFCs to treat textile dye wastewaters was explored. Two different kind of reactive dyes, azo dye reactive black (RB) and non azo dye reactive blue (RBl), were treated in the MFCs. Three different concentrations of dyes (50, 100 and 200 ppm) were applied. Rumen microorganisms were used as exoelectrogens in the MFC's anodic chamber. Decolorization potential of the rumen consortia was determined using different carbon sources and different salt concentrations. Electricity generation and color removal was observed over time in the microbial fuel cells. Rate of decolorization depended upon type of electron donors and salt concentrations. The observations revealed that azo dye required less time to degrade (2 hours) as compared to non azo dye (4.5 hours). It was also observed that azo dyes can be degraded at twice faster rate with no absorption in bacterial biomass as compared to non azo dyes which did cause the biomass to experience dye absorption. Obtained results suggested that MFCs can be used for textile wastewater treatment. It is likely that the rate of decolorization can be improved by using optimized electron donors and running the system in continuous mode.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, Z. Yu. and A.C. Co. 2017. Sustainable power generation from bacterio-algal microbial fuel cells: An overview. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 73:75-84.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, Z. Yu, A.C. Co, and T. Park. 2017. Simultaneous power generation and desalination of microbial desalination cells using Nannochloropsis salina (marine algae) versus potassium ferricyanide as catholytes. Environmental Engineering Science 34(3): 185-196.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, Z. Yu, A.C. Co, R. Islam, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2017. Characterization and performance of anodic mixed culture biofilms in submersed microbial fuel cells. Bioelectrochemistry 113:79-84.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Saba, B. 2017. Simultaneous Biotreatment and Power Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells. Doctoral dissertation. (160 p.)
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Li, Ke. 2017. Analysis of Energy losses of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) and Design of an Innovative Constructed Wetlands-MFC. Masters thesis. (70 p.)


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Bioenergy researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, K-12 students and K-12 science teachers; government agency personnel in agricultural, environmental, natural resources, and energy departments; consulting engineers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PI participated by making a scholarly presentation about this MFC work at the annual international meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) in Orlando, FL, July 17-20, 2016. The post doctoral researcher presented a poster at the Asia Pacific-International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry (AP-ISMET) in Busan, South Korea on August 31-September 2, 2016. One of the graduate students completed an internship on a microbial electrosynthesis project at Irstea (National Institute for Environmental and Agricultural Science and Research) at their Antony Center near Paris, France, working with Dr. Théodore Bouchez from June through September 2016.The course called "Biomass conversion to bioenergy" was offered again in 2016; it has now been offered three times. The official course description was: an exploration of the science and technologies used for energy production from bio-based materials, including agricultural biomass and solid waste sources. Over forty students have successfully completed the course. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated in refereed journal articles and scholarly presentations at the annual international meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and at the meeting of the Asia Pacific-International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry (AP-ISMET) in Busan, South Korea. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Research will continue on microbial desalination, using algae as a biocathode, and textile dye wastewater treatment. New areas of study in this field will also be investigated, including combining constructed wetlands with MFCs and using microbial electrochemical cells to synthesize bio-products, i.e., going beyond bio-electricity.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under the first goal (A.) Expand scientific knowledge of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a bioenergy option: The research team has continued to study the effects of increasing electrode surface area on MFC performance, and has further delved into using MFCs as a treatment technology for textile dye wastewaters. (B.) Increase power production in MFCs: Improved performance of MFCs was observed using fabricated graphite anode electrodes that had been modified to have teethed surfaces; i.e., higher surface areas than with conventional, commercially available graphite electrodes with polished smooth surfaces. Rumen microorganisms as biocatalysts produced electrical current from both glucose (soluble organic) and cellulose (particulate organic) substrates in two chambered MFCs. With glucose, power generation in MFCs with a surface area enhanced fabricated electrode was 105% higher and achieved the maximum power density of 1,020 mW/m3 as compared to MFCs with conventional, unmodified graphite electrodes. With cellulose, power generation with the fabricated electrodes was 123% higher with a maximum power density of 2,120 mW/m3 as compared to MFCs with unmodified electrodes. The results show that modifying the surface area and topology of the anode electrode enhances MFC performance. (C.) Increase wastewater treatment efficiencies: Use of MFCs to treat textile dye wastewaters was explored. Two different kind of reactive dyes, azo dye reactive black (RB) and non azo dye reactive blue (RBl), were treated in the MFCs. Three different concentrations of dyes (50, 100 and 200 ppm) were applied. Rumen microorganisms were used as exoelectrogens in the MFC's anodic chamber. Decolorization potential of the rumen consortia was determined using different carbon sources and different salt concentrations. Electricity generation and color removal was observed over time in the microbial fuel cells. Rate of decolorization depended upon type of electron donors and salt concentrations. The observations revealed that azo dye required less time to degrade (2 hours) as compared to non azo dye (4.5 hours). It was also observed that azo dyes can be degraded at twice faster rate with no absorption in bacterial biomass as compared to non azo dyes which did cause the biomass to experience dye absorption. Obtained results suggested that MFCs can be used for textile wastewater treatment. It is likely that the rate of decolorization can be improved by using optimized electron donors and running the system in continuous mode.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Saba, B., A.D. Christy, and M. Jabeen. 2016. Kinetic and enzymatic decolorization of industrial dyes utilizing plant-based biosorbents: A review. Environmental Engineering Science 33(9):601-614.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Baral, N., Slutzky, L.; Shah, A.; Ezeji, T.; Cornish, K.; and Christy, A.D. 2016. Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol Fermentation of Corn Stover: Current Production Methods, Economic Viability, and Commercial Use. FEMS Microbiology Letters 363(6): 1-11.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Kang, Young Woon, Kim, E.K., A.D. Christy, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2016. Surface modification of anode electrodes impacts microbial fuel cell performance. Proceedings of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry (AP-ISMET), Busan, Korea. August 31-September 2, 2016.


Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Bioenergy researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, K-12 students and K-12 science teachers; government agency personnel in agricultural, environmental, natural resources, and energy departments; consulting engineers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The course called "Biomass conversion to bioenergy" has been offered twice. The official course description was: an exploration of the science and technologies used for energy production from bio-based materials, including agricultural biomass and solid waste sources. Over thirty students have successfully completed the course. Professional development: The PI and one graduate student participated by presenting and learning at the annual international meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) in New Orleans, LA, July 26-29, 2015. In addition, one of the graduate researchers presented a poster at the 5th meeting of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry (ISMET) in Tempe, AZ. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated in refereed journal articles and scholarly presentations at the annual international meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) in New Orleans, LA, July 26-29, 2015, and at the 5th meeting of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry (ISMET) in Tempe, AZ. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Research will continue on microbial desalination, using algae as a biocathode, and textile dye wastewater treatment. New areas of study in this field will also be investigated, specifically using microbial electrochemical cells to synthesize bio-products, i.e., going beyond bio-electricity. An international opportunity to work with researchers on a microbial electrosynthesis project at Irstea (National Institute for Environmental and Agricultural Science and Research) at their Antony Center near Paris, France, is currently being pursued. The plan is for my graduate student to spend six months in 2016 working with Dr. Théodore Bouchez from Irstea who invited her to come to this lab for a training period abroad.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under the first goal (A.) Expand scientific knowledge of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a bioenergy option: The bacteria that use anaerobic respiration metabolic pathways to generate electricity in MFCs were found to consistently out compete the growth of methanogenic microorganisms thus suppressing methane formation in MFCs. The microbial consortia within a ruminant's gastrointestinal tract was found to be exoelectrogeneic and cellulolytic, thus enabling MFCs to use less refined substrates for power generation. Various biological entities in the cathode compartment were explored including photosynthetic marine algae and human and bovine blood products (hemoglobin, red blood cells, and whole blood). Preliminary results showed minor improvements in performance but more work is needed. The use of MFC technology for other purposes beyond electricity generation was explored, specifically Microbial Desalination Cells (MDCs) were constructed and experimented upon. Desalination was 100% effective in 24 hours or less, but electricity generation was relatively low. Life Cycle Analyses and Cost-Benefit Economic analyses were performed to assess the sustainability of MFCs and MDCs. (B.) Increase power production in MFCs: Voltage self-amplification circuits and applied electric fields were explored as ways to increase peak-to-peak voltage outputs, accelerate cation diffusion, increase cellulose catabolic rates, and accomplish faster electron transport from the anode to cathode in the MFC. Results showed that voltage self-amplification successfully boosted the voltage of four MFCs in parallel while also reducing the activation losses of these cells. (C.) Increase wastewater treatment efficiencies: Use of MFCs to treat textile dye wastewaters was explored, and MFCs were found to be very effective with some classes of dyes but not all.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Saba, B., and A.D. Christy. 2015. Effect of varying external resistance on electrical impedance of modified submersible microbial fuel cells in algal ponds. Proceedings of the 5th conference of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry (ISMET), Tempe, AZ.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Saba, B., and Christy, A. D. 2015. Comparison of biological catholyte to chemical catholyte in microbial desalination cells. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting. ASABE Paper No.15-2190931. (doi: 10.13031/aim.20152190931).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Faze, N.R., A.D. Christy, & B. Saba. 2015. Economic analysis comparing microbial desalination cells and reverse osmosis technologies. Presented at Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). Poster No.15-2190234. New Orleans, LA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Christy, A.D. & L. Zhao. 2015. Collaborative on-line course design for education in controlled environment animal production (eCEAP). Presented at Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). Presentation No.15-2190234. New Orleans, LA.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Saba, B., M. Jabeen, A. Khalid, I. Aziz, and A.D. Christy. 2015. Effectiveness of rice agricultural waste, microbes, and wetland plants in the removal of reactive black-5 azo dye in microcosm constructed wetlands. International Journal of Phytoremediation 17(11): 1060-1067. DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2014.1003787.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Faze, Natasha R. 2015. Life cycle and economic analysis comparing microbial desalination cell and reverse osmosis technologies MS Thesis. The Ohio State University.