A photosynthetic algal microbial fuel cell for treating swine wastewater

Abstract

A photosynthetic algal (Chlorella vulgaris) microbial fuel cell (PAMFC) with double chambers was adopted for power production and removal of carbon and nitrogen in swine sewerage that could provide nutrients for the growth of C. vulgaris. C. vulgaris was expected to utilize carbon dioxide (CO₂) delivered from the anode chamber and generate oxygen as an electron acceptor by photosynthesis. PAMFC presented a maximum voltage output of 0.747 V and a maximum power density of 3720 mW/m³ at 240 h, much higher than that of the standalone MFC. 85.6%, 70.2%, and 93.9% removal of ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen (TN), and total organic carbon (TOC), respectively, were obtained in the anode chamber of the PAMFC system, while the corresponding removal in MFC was 83.1%, 56.0%, and 87.2%, respectively. PAMFC also presented a much higher removal of ammonia nitrogen (68.7%) in the cathode chamber than MFC (47.5%). The results indicated the superiority of the PAMFC device for carbon and nitrogen removal.

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