In the present study, water recovery from wastewater was accomplished simultaneously with the electrical energy production from biofuel as a source of organic matter, by the novel integration of distillation membrane and microbial fuel cell to create a system called the membrane distillation microbial fuel cell (MDMFC). A hydrophobic 0.45 μm membrane made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was employed as a separator between the cathodic and anodic compartments to investigate multiple benefits of MDMFC for electricity generation, wastewater treatment and water reclamation at different temperature conditions. A high open-circuit voltage of 0.724 ± 0.07 V and a short circuit current of 64.55 ± 2.56 μA were achieved at 45 °C with an initial flux of 3.5 LMH. In the anodic chamber, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were detected as dominant species at 45 °C, among which the Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the most abundant sequences when an artificial substrate was used for feeding. The results indicate that 45 °C is the temperature that most significantly influences the electrochemical performance of MDMFC because of the dominance of bacterial community. Moreover, the power density increased by 99.9% when the temperature increased from 35 °C (0.99 μW m−3) to 45 °C (1552 μW m−3) and decreased by 97% when the temperature was further increased to 55 °C (43.91 μW m−3). Consequently, this study confirms that MD and MFC can be combined for the sustainable development of a water-energy nexus.
Relation:
Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 6, 2776-2788
