Boosting o-xylene removal and power generation in an airlift microbial fuel cell system

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are widely acknowledged to be a promising eco-friendly abatement technology of pollutants, and are capable of generating electricity. However, the poor mass transfer and reaction rate in MFCs significantly decrease their treatment capacity for contaminants, especially hydrophobic substances. The present work developed a novel MFC integrated with an airlift (ALR) reactor using a polypyrrole modified anode to promote the bioaccessibility of gaseous o-xylene and attachment of microorganisms. The results indicated that the established ALR-MFC system showed excellent elimination capability, with removal efficiency exceeding 84% even at high o-xylene concentration (1600 mg m⁻³). The maximum output voltage of 0.549 V and power density of 13.16 mW m⁻² obtained by the Monod-type model were approximately twice and sixfold higher than that of a conventional MFC, respectively. According to the microbial community analysis, the superior performances of the ALR-MFC in terms of o-xylene removal and power generation were mainly ascribed to the enrichment of degrader (i.e. Shinella) and electrochemical active bacteria (i.e. Proteiniphilum). Moreover, the electricity generation of the ALR-MFC did not decrease at a high O₂ concentration, as O₂ was conducive to o-xylene degradation and electron release. The supplication of an external carbon source such as sodium acetate (NaAc) was conducive to increasing output voltage and coulombic efficiency. The electrochemical analysis revealed that released electrons can be transmitted with the action of NADH dehydrogenase to OmcZ, OmcS, and OmcA outer membrane proteins via a direct or indirect pathway, and ended up transferring to the anode directly.