Self-forming electroactive dynamic membrane for enhancing the decolorization of methyl orange by weak electrical stimulation

Yang Yang; Jinning Wang; Mei Chen; Nan Li; Jiaguo Yan; Xin Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160897

Self-forming electroactive dynamic membrane for enhancing the decolorization of methyl orange by weak electrical stimulation

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Mar 10:863:160897. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160897. Epub 2022 Dec 12.

Authors

Yang Yang¹, Jinning Wang¹, Mei Chen², Nan Li³, Jiaguo Yan⁴, Xin Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China.
² College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai University, No. 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China. Electronic address: meichen1228@nankai.edu.cn.
³ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 35 Yaguan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China.
⁴ Division of Oilfield Chemicals, China Oilfield Services Limited, No. 1581, Haichuan Road, Binhai New District, Tianjin, China.

PMID: 36521609
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160897

Abstract

An electroactive dynamic membrane (EADM), which enabled simultaneous solid-liquid separation and contaminants removal, has been developed by electrostimulation using domestic wastewater as inoculum. Results showed that both the control dynamic membrane (CDM), without electrical stimulation, and the EADM systems exhibited stable removal performance with chemical oxygen demand (COD), and a robustness in responding to a fluctuating organic load. With the introduction of a weak electrical field, the EADM transmembrane pressure (TMP) was significantly reduced (0.02 kPa/d) compared with the control (0.20 kPa/d). In the treatment of methyl orange (MO), the EADM system achieved a decolorization efficiency of 85.87 %, much higher than the control dynamic membrane (CDM) system (58.84 %), which can be attributed to electrical stimulation and H₂ production on cathode. Microbial analysis has established that electrostimulation enriched the electroactive bacteria in the dynamic biofilm, and shaped the microbial structure, with improved contaminant removal. The results of this study highlight the potential of regulating the microbial community and creating a beneficial biofilm as a dynamic layer to facilitate contaminant removal.

Keywords: Decolorization; Electrical stimulation; Electroactive dynamic membrane; Membrane filtration; Methyl orange.

MeSH terms

Azo Compounds / chemistry
Bacteria
Bioreactors / microbiology
Electricity*
Wastewater*

Substances

methyl orange
Wastewater
Azo Compounds