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Removal and Recovery of Nitrogen Pollutants in Bioelectrochemical System

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Bioelectrochemistry Stimulated Environmental Remediation

Abstract

Nitrogen should be strictly limited in wastewater to control the eutrophication of water bodies. Nitrate and nitrite need to be efficiently removed from groundwater and surface water due to their toxicity to human and animal health. Bioelectrochemical system (BES) is a promising technology for sustainable wastewater treatment, which aims not only water reuse but also nutrient recovery and management. For nitrogen removal and recovery, BESs exhibit great potential with the advantage of oxidizing organics at the anode integrating denitrification at the cathode as well as recovering energy simultaneously. This review summarized the most recent development in versatile nitrogen removal using BESs, including denitrification via biocathode, coupling with nitrification via bioanode, and photosynthetic process. The denitrification principles driven by electro-active bacteria are addressed from the view of microbiology, following the detailed descriptions focusing on the key elements related to nitrogen transformation in BESs, including environmental factors, methodologies for electrode modification, reactor configurations, and operational parameters. In addition, ammonium recovery could be realized in the BES coupling with physicochemical processes such as struvite precipitation and blowing-stripping. This review aims to summarize the current development in this field and to provoke more thoughts on further development of efficient BES-based processes for nitrogen pollutant removal and recovery.

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Abbreviations

AD-MFC:

Anode denitrification microbial fuel cell

AEM:

Anion-exchange membrane

AMO:

Ammonia monooxygenase

AOB:

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria

AO-MFC:

Ammonia oxidation microbial fuel cell

BES:

Bioelectrochemical system

CEM:

Cation-exchange membrane

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

CW:

Constructed wetland

CW-MFC:

Constructed wetland microbial fuel cell

DET:

Direct electron transfer

DO:

Dissolved oxygen

HAO:

Hydroxylamine oxidoreductase

IET:

Indirect electron transfer

MEC:

Microbial electrolysis cell

MFC:

Microbial fuel cell

NOB:

Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria

PA-MFC:

Photosynthetic algae microbial fuel cell

PBR:

Photobioreactor

PMFC:

Photomicrobial fuel cell

SMDDC:

Submerged microbial desalination-denitrification cell

SMFC:

Sediment microbial fuel cell

SND:

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification

UBER:

Upflow bioelectrochemical reactor

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  1. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China

    Yuxiang Liang & Huajun Feng

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  1. Yuxiang Liang
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  1. Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Ai-Jie Wang

  2. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Bin Liang

  3. School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China

    Zhi-Ling Li

  4. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Hao-Yi Cheng

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Liang, Y., Feng, H. (2019). Removal and Recovery of Nitrogen Pollutants in Bioelectrochemical System. In: Wang, AJ., Liang, B., Li, ZL., Cheng, HY. (eds) Bioelectrochemistry Stimulated Environmental Remediation. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8542-0_7

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