Performance of a microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for online monitoring in an integrated system combining microbial fuel cell and upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor

Hui Jia; Guang Yang; Jie Wang; Huu Hao Ngo; Wenshan Guo; Hongwei Zhang; Xinbo Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2016.06.064

Performance of a microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for online monitoring in an integrated system combining microbial fuel cell and upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor

Bioresour Technol. 2016 Oct:218:286-93. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.06.064. Epub 2016 Jun 18.

Authors

Hui Jia¹, Guang Yang², Jie Wang², Huu Hao Ngo³, Wenshan Guo³, Hongwei Zhang⁴, Xinbo Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China; School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China. Electronic address: ajiahui@163.com.
² State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China; School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
³ Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
⁵ School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China.

PMID: 27372008
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.06.064

Abstract

A hybrid system integrating a microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based biosensor with upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) was investigated for real-time online monitoring of the internal operation of the UASB reactor. The features concerned were its rapidity and steadiness with a constant operation condition. In addition, the signal feedback mechanism was examined by the relationship between voltage and time point of changed COD concentration. The sensitivity of different concentrations was explored by comparing the signal feedback time point between the voltage and pH. Results showed that the electrical signal feedback was more sensitive than pH and the thresholds of sensitivity were S=3×10(-5)V/(mg/L) and S=8×10(-5)V/(mg/L) in different concentration ranges, respectively. Although only 0.94% of the influent COD was translated into electricity and applied for biosensing, this integrated system indicated great potential without additional COD consumption for real-time monitoring.

Keywords: Biosensor; Microbial fuel cell; Sensitivity; Signal feedback; Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Bioelectric Energy Sources*
Bioreactors*
Biosensing Techniques*
Reproducibility of Results
Sewage / chemistry*
Water Purification / instrumentation
Water Purification / methods

Substances

Sewage