Issue 10, 2018

Urine-powered synergy of nutrient recovery and urine purification in a microbial electrochemical system

Abstract

This study demonstrates that the chemical energy contained in human urine can synergize the in situ nutrient recovery and purification of urine itself. This process was achieved using a urine-powered microbial electrochemical system named U-Power, which can provide a maximum power density of 21.3 W m−3via the degradation of fresh human urine. Urea hydrolysis was induced by anodic microorganisms and further accelerated by the electrical potential inside U-Power to provide ammonium and balance the pH in the anode. Driven by the electrical potential generated by U-Power, the NH4+ and PO43− contained in urine migrated into the high nutrient concentration recovery solution. On average, 93.8% of organics, 73.1% of nitrogen and 86.2% of phosphorus were removed, along with recovery concentrations of 1234 mg L−1 nitrogen and 101 mg L−1 phosphorus. Both the above purification and recovery processes require no energy input but output a satisfactory power density among all present urine treatment studies, together with an average current efficiency of 178% and a coulombic efficiency of 26%. By achieving the triple benefits of energy-positive recovery of nutrients from urine, avoiding the complicated and energy-intensive process of nutrient removal in downstream wastewater treatment facilities, and avoiding the energy and hygiene issues combined with the storage and reuse of urine, U-Power represents a promising tool to pave the way for a sustainable water–energy–nutrient nexus.

Graphical abstract: Urine-powered synergy of nutrient recovery and urine purification in a microbial electrochemical system

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Mei 2018
Accepted
09 Ago 2018
First published
17 Ago 2018

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2018,4, 1427-1438

Urine-powered synergy of nutrient recovery and urine purification in a microbial electrochemical system

Y. Gao, D. Sun, H. Wang, L. Lu, H. Ma, L. Wang, Z. J. Ren, P. Liang, X. Zhang, X. Chen and X. Huang, Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2018, 4, 1427 DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00306H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements