Experiences from

MFC pilot plant operation

How to get the technology market-ready?

Jurg Keller, Korneel Rabaey

AWMC, The University of
Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Why build a pilot plant?

Test reactor Determine scale-
design & materials up challenges

To show we
Pilot Plant can!

Evaluate potential Determine

of technology for performance in
wastewater appl. actual operation

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How to scale these
up???

An overview: Logan et al. ES&T 2006

Major challenges – design & construction

• Overall reactor design
– stack or tube
• Ultimate electron acceptor & cathode catalyst
– oxygen or chemical - bio-cathode vs Pt
• Electrode design and construction/materials
– brushes - granules - felt/woven materials
– carbon fibres - graphite - activated carbon
• Electrical connection of MFCs
– isolated (parallel) or in series
• Hydraulic connection
– parallel or in series

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 Major challenges – design & construction
• Electrode conductivity and current collectors
– 0.1 Ohm resistance @ 2 A Î 0.2 V potential drop!
• Contacts
– between anode/cathode material and current collector
– between current collector and power converters
• Power converters to generate useful power from cells
– converting from 0.2 - 0.5V to 12V in single step
• Construction methods
– anode, membrane, cathode,
– liquid seals and electrical isolation
– stability & robustness
• Organic loading design
– feed flow and concentration
– loading (organic & hydraulic)
– recirculation flows etc.

Schematic of the MFC pilot plant

12 tubular reactors, internal anode, external cathode
0.18m

3m

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From carbon fibre to MFC plant

From carbon fibre to MFC plant

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 Pilot plant at brewery –
„Beer Battery“

Pilot plant opening at AD11

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 The pilot plant - now

Major challenges – operation

• Natural enviroment
– sun, wind, rain, frogs & toads, spiders (real Aussie ones!)
• Temperature: now at 12°C at night Æ still working
• Work on site
– interactions with brewery staff/operations
– Workplace Health & Safety regulations
• Feed supply
– uneven flow & composition (weekend effects)
– feed flow distribution in pilot plant
– screening/filtering of solids
• Biofilm growth
– in feedline Æ clogging of the feedline
– on external (and internal?) surfaces

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 Major challenges – operation
• Microbial community establishment
– anode and cathode concurrently
– flow recirculation connects anode & cathode flows
• On-line measurements
– stability of anode/cathode operation
– reference electrode location and fouling
– potentiostatic measurements very difficult at large scale
• Difficulty to investigate parameters separately
• Low feed conductivity
– brewery operates water recycling with RO – low salt in
wastewater (initial conductivity <1 mS cm-1)
– conductivity likely critical limitation in any full-scale system
• Non-selectivity of membrane
– all cations transferred, minimal pH balancing
– loop operation improves pH balancing

pH gradients, Alkalinity and Salinity Limitations

COD ⎯H⎯→
⎯
2O
4H+ + 4e − + CO 2 H+ H+ OH-
H+ H+ +
H + Na
• Wastewater COD = H+ H+ H+
+

50-500 m-eq/L H OH-

H+ H+
• Buffer capacity (alkalinity)= H+
H+ OH-
5-10 m-eq/L H +
+
• Salinity = 5-10 m-eq/L H+ Na
z OH-
H+
OH-

H+ Na+
Na+ COD

pH
H+
Concentration

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Full Loop Configuration – Recycling Alkalinity
Converter
(Anode)-
(Anode) - + (Cathode)

Overflow
Overflow to
to biological
oxygen cathode
pH= 6.0
COD<100 mg/L

Effluent recycle
pH=
pH=
7.07.0
- 8.5
COD<100
COD<30 mg/L
mg/L
Feed
pH= 4.5
COD=5,000 mg/L

Feed Pumps Recirculation pumps Pilot plant

Effluent
Flow=F Flow=R=100xF
Flow=R=100F effluent

Results achieved
• Current: maximal 2A / cell at 400mV
• COD removal as current:
≈ 0.2 kgCOD m-3 d-1
• Power density: 0.5 W/m2 membrane area
8.5 W/m3 reactor volume
• Loop operation essential for pH stability

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 Logan and Regan (2006)

Pilot Plant Learning Experiences

Test reactor Determine scale-
design & materials up challenges
Electrode materials Electrode conductivity
Electrode design Electrical contacts
Air cathode design Membrane-electrode
assembly design

Liquid conductivity
Proton transfer
Pilot Plant Liquid flow mgt
Material costs vs Low treatment capacity
electricity value Operational difficulties

Evaluate potential Determine

of technology for performance in
wastewater appl. actual operation

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 Generic market assessment of MFC
• Optimal MFC wastewater application:
– high salinity
– high alkalinity : COD ratio
– easy biodegradability
– low / no solids
– small(ish) scale, modular application

• Where is the niche?

– small scale “aerobic” wastewater treatment:
power benefit minimal
– industrial wastewater: limits of COD vs alkalinity
– domestic wastewater: how to handle solids?

What does it mean for MFC

Technology?
• Still large development needs
• Main challenges likely applied/practical
• Limited benefits from small-scale testing
of different designs/wastewaters
• Focus of material development & testing
needs to be on cost-effectiveness
• Electric power is likely not the most
valuable “product” from MFC

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Simone Bützer, Stefano Freguia, Ampon Chumpia,
René Rozendal, Korneel Rabaey, Peter Aelterman

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