DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF DUAL CHAMBERED … · an anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) and a MFC was designed in this study. It was used to treat alcohol distillery wastewater and

DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF DUAL CHAMBERED MICROBIAL FUEL CELL TO TREAT

DISTILLERY WASTEWATWER AND SIMULTANEOUS BIO-ELECTRICITY GENERATION-A FEASIBILITY

STUDY

PROJECT REFERENCE NO.: 39S_BE_1253

COLLEGE : ALVA’S INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY,

MOODBIDRI

BRANCH : DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

GUIDE : MR. SANJAY.S

STUDENTS : MR. DEEKSHIT K SHETTY

MR. DEVISHA D SHETTY

MS. KARISHMA KIRAN P

MS. LAKSHMI TULASI C H

ABSTRACT

Energy need has been increasing worldwide exponentially. At present global energy

requirements are mostly dependent on the fossil fuels, which eventually lead to

foreseeable depletion of limited fossil energy sources. In this context, regeneration of the

brewery spent wash is one of the better possibilities. Now a days, countries like India in

progressing towards harnessing new energy sources. Fuel cells (FCs) have been

thoroughly investigated by many researchers in the past and concluded that FCs could be

applied for the treatment of liquid waste streams and also in generation of electricity.

From a variety of materials, including complex organic waste and renewable biomass.

These sources provide FCs with a great advantage over chemical fuel cells that can utilize

only purified reactive fuels (e.g., hydrogen). A developing primary application of FCs is

its use in wastewater treatment coupled with electricity generation, although further

technical developments are necessary for its practical use.

The aim of this study was to test a novel DC-MFC design for distillery wastewater

treatment and simultaneous bio-electricity production. The hypothesis of the design was

to bring MFCs closer to large scale industrialization. As such the materials and mechanics

of the design were conceived with the consideration of the needs of large scale

wastewater treatment plants. Higher percentage of COD and BOD removal and

significant electricity generation using MFC can be achieved. Thus the combination of

wastewater treatment along with the bio-electricity production may help in saving of

millions of rupees.

For all the trials conducted in the laboratory, considerable reduction in

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total

Dissolved Solids (TDS) has been achieved. The removal efficiencies ranged between

95.34% to 96.34% for BOD, 90.84% to 98.12% for COD and 40.69% to 59.95% for

TDS. The maximum bioelectricity generated was 199.90 mV. Hence the overall reactor

efficiency is very encouraging and could be scaled up easily in the near future.

Key words: DC-MFC, Distillery wastewater, Copper Electrodes.

Development and Fabrication of Dual Chambered Microbial Fuel Cell to Treat Distillery

Wastewater and Simultaneous Bio-Electricity Generation - A feasibility Study

Dept. of Civil Engg, AIET, Mijar, Moodbidri Page 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important environmental problems faced by the world is management of

wastes. Industrial processes create a variety of wastewater pollutants; which are difficult and

costly to treat. Wastewater characteristics and levels of pollutants vary significantly from

industry to industry. Now-a-days emphasis is laid on waste minimization and revenue

generation through byproduct recovery. Pollution preventing the generation of wastes, while

waste minimization refers to reducing the volume or toxicity of hazardous wastes by water

recycling and reuse, and the byproduct recovery as a fall out of manufacturing process

creates ample scope for revenue generation thereby offsetting the costs substantially.

There are two major types of waste inorganic waste and organic waste. Organic

wastewaters are potent sources of water pollution. Various organic wastewaters that are

known to cause serious problems may be attributed to distillery effluents, pulp and paper

effluents, textile effluents, and tannery effluents, among others. Among these types distillery

wastewater is highly charged with organic matter, when dumped into water sources without

treatment or with inappropriate treatment, causes serious pollution. Among the raw material

sources for distillery, two very important raw materials are cane sugar molasses and beet

sugar molasses. Molasses is a by-product of the extraction process and is heavily used as a

raw material in many distilleries around the world. The discharge of wastewaters from

wineries and distilleries is becoming increasingly restricted as pressures from environmental

regulations increase and as awareness of the negative impacts of seasonal discharges of water

containing high nutrient and organic loadings into water courses spreads. Raw stillage

discharge has a highly deleterious effect on fish life. Stillage has been proposed for use as a

fertilizer, food supplement, biomass production agent, animal feed, and potash source. The

world’s total production of alcohol from cane molasses is more than 13 million m3/annum.

The aqueous distillery effluent stream known as spent wash is a dark brown highly organic

effluent and is approximately 12-15 times by volume of the product alcohol. It is one of the

most complex, troublesome and strongest organic industrial effluents, having extremely high

COD and BOD values. Because of the high concentration of organic load, distillery spent




wash is a potential source of renewable energy. If it is directly discharged to water-bodies

without treatment, it may damage the aquatic system. Apart from causing water pollution,

unpleasant odour of effluent spreads several Km around the distillery. The untreated

/partially treated effluent if discharged in the land makes it infertile. Environmental issues

have become one of the most important factors controlling the growth of distillery industries.

In recent years, membranes and membrane separation techniques have grown from a simple

laboratory tool to an industrial process with considerable technical and commercial impact.

Today membranes are used on a large scale to produce potable water from the sea by reverse

osmosis, to clean industrial effluents (distillery wastewater) and to recover valuable

constituents by electro-dialysis. In many cases, membrane processes are faster, more efficient

and more economical than conventional separation techniques. With membrane, the

separation is usually at ambient temperature, thus allowing temperature sensitive solutions to

be treated without the constituents being damaged or chemically altered.

Inspite of various treatment techniques available to treat distillery wastewater, there is a

growing demand to evolve an effective treatment technique to effectively treat the distillery

wastewater. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) can be used in an efficient manner to treat such

problematic wastewater and also to harness bio-electricity simultaneously during treatment.

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are unique devices that can utilize microorganisms as catalysts

for converting chemical energy directly into electricity, representing a promising technology

for simultaneous energy production and wastewater treatment. MFCs operated using mixed

microbial cultures currently achieve substantially greater power densities than those with

pure cultures. Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are a type of biofuels cell recently attracted

considerable interest.MFC cells get right to the heart of many of the principles we run into in

the discussion of bioenergy. They are an excellent way to illustrate electron transfer

principles and to discuss subjects such as reduction and oxidation. Microbial fuel cells work

by creating situations in which bacteria can feed off a substrate or food . The actual cell

consists of electrodes separated by a semi permeable membrane submerged in an electrolyte

solution. It consists of anode (negative electrode) and a cathode (positive electrode)




Objectives

To characterize distillery wastewater for routine parameters.

To develop and fabricate a novel Dual Chambered Microbial Fuel Cell (DC-MFC).

To evaluate the potential of DC-MFC to treat the distillery wastewater.

To evaluate the potential of DC-MFC to generate bio-electricity with distillery

wastewater.




CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

N. Samsudeen et. al (2015) says that the effect of various system parameters such as

wastewater Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) concentration, pH, conductivity,

membrane size and thickness on efficient energy production using mixed isolated culture

from the distillery wastewater in the MFC was studied. The power density increased with

increase in the anolyte pH from 6 to 8. The peak power density and COD removal

efficiency was observed as 63.8 ± 0.65 mW/m2 and 63.5 ± 1.5% at pH 8, respectively.

The MFC performance increased with increasing COD concentration (800–3200 mg/l),

conductivity (1.1–9.7 mS/cm) and membrane area (8–24 cm2). The MFC operating with

wastewater COD concentration of 3200 mg/l and its conductivity of 9.7 mS/cm produced

the highest power density of 202 ± 6 mW/m2 with a corresponding current density of 412

± 12 mA/m2. The results showed that the efficient electricity generation and simultaneous

treatment of distillery wastewater can be attained in the MFC.

G. Mohanakrishna et. al (2009) says that Microbial fuel cell (MFC; open-air cathode)

was evaluated as bio-electrochemical treatment system for distillery wastewater during

bioelectricity generation. MFC was operated at three substrate loading conditions in fed-

batch mode under acidophilic (pH 6) condition using anaerobic consortia as

anodicbiocatalyst.Current visualized marked improvement with increase in substrate load

without any process inhibition (2.12–2.48 mA). Apart from electricity generation, MFC

documented efficient treatment of distillery wastewater and illustrated its function as an

integrated wastewater treatment system by simultaneously removing multiple pollutants.

Fuel cell operation yielded enhanced substrate degradation (COD, 72.84%) compared to

the fermentation process (∼29.5% improvement). Interestingly due to treatment in MFC,

considerable reduction in color (31.67%) of distillery wastewater was also observed as

against color intensification normally observed due to re-polymerization in corresponding

anaerobic process. Good reduction in total dissolved solids (TDS, 23.96%) was also

noticed due to fuel cell operation, which is generally not amenable in biological




treatment. The simultaneous removal of multiple pollutants observed in distillery

Wastewater might be attributed to the biologically catalyzed electrochemical reactions

occurring in the anodic chamber of MFC mediated by anaerobic substrate metabolism.

Jiansheng Huang et. al (2010-2011) says that Wastewater is not just waste but could

also be sources of energy. Along with many biological approaches, the microbial fuel cell

(MFC) has been demonstrated its capability for wastewater treatment and electricity

generation. However, the factors, wastewater treatment efficiency, capability of

electricity generation and the scaled-up capability, have been limited its application at a

large scale. In order to improve the application capacity of the MFC, a system combining

an anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) and a MFC was designed in this study. It was used to

treat alcohol distillery wastewater and generate electricity simultaneously. In this study,

the COD removal efficiency is from 80–90% in stabilization period. A maximum power

density of 124.03mW/m2 was achieved under an external resistance of 120 Ω and a

variety of system operational settings. Furthermore, a longer hydraulic retention time

(HRT) leads to a higher COD removal efficiency. Key factors influencing the electricity

generation capacity of the AFB-MFC include the external resistance, the conductivity of

the influent, anolyte, and catholyte. These results indicate that the AFB-MFC can be used

for electricity generation at a large scale while alcohol distillery wastewater can be

efficiently treated under appropriate system operational settings.

Vineetha Vet. al (2013) says that Microbial fuel cells (MFC) offer the direct generation

of electricity from different sources of waste water, simultaneously accomplishing waste

water treatment. MFC converts organic matter to electricity with the help of

microorganisms as biocatalysts. While electricity generation using bacteria has been

known to be possible for over a decade, only recent studies have shown that mediators

are not required. This development can drive a completely new wastewater treatment

technology based on microbial fuel cell. The objective of this study is to enhance the

power production efficiency of a single chambered mediator less microbial fuel cell from

waste water using modified anodes. It was observed that this single chambered mediator

less microbial fuel cell was capable of giving higher removal of Chemical Oxygen




Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). In addition, comparison of

electricity generation was carried out with plain carbon rods and iron coated carbon rods

as anodes. The maximum electricity generation (7I/lA) and maximum voltage production

(35I/lA) was obtained from MFC with heated iron coated carbon as anode.

Chi-Wen Lin et. al (2014) says that Cell-immobilization technology has long been

considered as an important tool for microbial fuel cell(MFC) design. For the first time, a

direct comparison between MFCs catalyzed by freely-suspended cells, surface-attached

cells and matrix-embedded cells for simultaneous electricity generation and distillery

wastewater treatment in both batch and continuous operation modes was systematically

performed. The results indicated that MFCs catalyzed by surface-attached cells and

matrix-embedded cells had better chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and power

production efficiencies than those catalyzed by freely-suspended cells. The normalized

energy recovery (NER), or power divided by the amount of COD consumed, was found

to be decreasing with increasing COD concentration in all three different setups.

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis indicated that the structure of

microbial community was influenced by the mode of operation, COD concentration and

cell immobilization methods of the MFC. Nevertheless, surface-attached cells and

matrix-embedded cells had a higher similarity than freely-suspended cells regardless of

the mode of operation. The information obtained here will be an important reference for

future design and application of MFCs for simultaneous wastewater treatment and power

production.

Phuc Thi Ha et. al (2012) says that Simultaneous electricity generation and distillery

wastewater (DWW) treatment were accomplished using a Thermophilic microbial fuel

cell (MFC). The results suggest that Thermophilic MFCs, which require less energy for

cooling the DWW, can achieve high efficiency for electricity generation and also reduce

sulphate along with oxidizing complex organic substrates. The generated current density

(2.3 A/m2) and power density (up to 1.0 W/m

2) were higher than previous wastewater-

treating MFCs. The significance of the high Columbic efficiency (CE; up to 89%)

indicated that electrical current was the most significant electron sink in Thermophilic




MFCs. Bacterial diversity based on pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that

known Deferribacteres and Firmicutes members were not dominant in the

ThermophilicMFC fed with DWW; instead, uncharacterized Bacteroidetes thermophiles

were up to 52% of the total reads in the anode biofilm. Despite the complexity of the

DWW, one single bacterial sequence (OTU D1) close to an uncultured Bacteroidetes

bacterium became predominant, up to almost 40% of total reads. The proliferation of the

D1 species was concurrent with high electricity generation and high Columbic efficiency.

Hampannavar U.S et. al (2010) says that Distillery wastewater was treated in Microbial

Fuel Cell (MFC) at ambient room temperature which varied between 27-32oC. Microbial

Fuel Cells can be simultaneously used for the treatment of wastewater and generation of

electricity. In this study single chamber MFC and double chambered MFC were

compared for the distillery wastewater treatment and generation of electricity. Micro-

organisms present in distillery wastewater and sewage were used as inoculum, and

distillery wastewater acted as substrate. Single chamber MFC was efficient and found to

be producing maximum current of 0.84 mA, power density of 28.15 mW/m2 whereas

double chambered MFC produced a maximum current of 0.36 mA and power density of

17.76 mW/m2. Double chambered MFC was efficient in the removal of COD (64%

removal) when compared with single chamber MFC which attained 61% COD removal

efficiency. The removal of dissolved solids in both single and double chambered MFC

was found to be 48%. Five varied feed concentrations were loaded to both the single and

double chambered MFC and the systems were stable. The COD and dissolved solids

removal observed in distillery wastewater might be attributed to the microbial catalyzed

electrochemical reactions occurring in the anodic chamber of single and double

chambered MFC.

Anil Kumar Dikshit et. al (2013) says that Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device that

converts chemical energy into electrical energy by using microorganisms. MFC holds a

key in green technology for the production of bioenergy simultaneously treating

wastewater. A strategy has been used to reduce the cost of the construction and working

of MFC. A two-chambered design has been developed, with salt bridge separating the




two chambers. The working of MFC designwas checked by using artificial wastewater

before using an aerobically digested distillery wastewater. Both artificial wastewater as

well as an aerobically digested distillery wastewater was standardized in order to make

MFC functional.

Peter Aelterman et. al (2006) says that Microbial fuel cell (MFC) research is a rapidly

evolving field that lacks established terminology and methods for the analysis of system

performance. This makes it difficult for researchers to compare devices on an equivalent

basis. The construction and analysis of MFCs requires knowledge of different scientific

and engineering fields, ranging from microbiology and electrochemistry to materials and

environmental engineering. Describing MFC systems therefore involves an

understanding of these different scientific and engineering principles. In this paper, we

provide a review of the different materials and methods used to construct MFCs,

techniques used to analyze system performance, and recommendations on what

information to include in MFC studies and the most useful ways to present results.

Bruce E. Logan et. al (2005) says that Power density, electrode potential, Coulombic

efficiency, and energy recovery in single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were

examined as a function of solution ionic strength, electrode spacing and composition, and

temperature. Increasing the solution ionic strength from 100 to 400 mM by adding NaCl

increased power output from 720 to 1330 mW/m2. Power generation was also increased

from 720 to 1210 mW/m2 by decreasing the distance between the anode and cathode

from 4 to 2 cm. The power increases due to ionic strength and electrode spacing resulted

from a decrease in the internal resistance. Power output was also increased by 68% by

replacing the cathode (purchased from a manufacturer) with our own carbon cloth

cathode containing the same Pt loading. The performances of conventional anaerobic

treatment processes, such as anaerobic digestion, are adversely affected by temperatures

below 30 °C. However, decreasing the temperature from 32 to 20 °C reduced power

output by only 9%, primarily as a result of the reduction of the cathode potential.

Coulombic efficiencies and overall energy recovery varied as a function of operating

conditions, but were a maximum of 61.4 and 15.1% (operating conditions of 32 °C,

http://pubs.acs.org/action/doSearch?ContribStored=Aelterman,+P

http://pubs.acs.org/action/doSearch?ContribStored=Logan,+B+E




carbon paper cathode, and the solution amended with 300 mM NaCl). These results,

which demonstrate that power densities can be increased to over 1 W/m2 by changing the

operating conditions or electrode spacing, should lead to further improvements in power

generation and energy recovery in single-chamber, MFCs.

Ramanathan Ramnarayanan et. al (2004) says that Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have

been used to produce electricity from different compounds, including acetate, lactate, and

glucose. We demonstrate here that it is also possible to produce electricity in a MFC from

domestic wastewater, while at the same time accomplishing biological wastewater

treatment (removal of chemical oxygen demand; COD). Tests were conducted using a

single chamber microbial fuel cell (SC-MFC) containing eight graphite electrodes

(anodes) and a single air cathode. The system was operated under continuous flow

conditions with primary clarifier effluent obtained from a local wastewater treatment

plant. The prototype SC-MFC reactor generated electrical power (maximum of 26 mW

m-2

) while removing up to 80% of the COD of the wastewater. Power output was

proportional to the hydraulic retention time over a range of 3−33 h and to the influent

wastewater strength over a range of 50−220 mg/L of COD. Current generation was

controlled primarily by the efficiency of the cathode. Optimal cathode performance was

obtained by allowing passive air flow rather than forced air flow (4.5−5.5 L/min). The

Coulombic efficiency of the system, based on COD removal and current generation, was

<12% indicating a substantial fraction of the organic matter was lost without current

generation. Bioreactors based on power generation in MFCs may represent a completely

new approach to wastewater treatment. If power generation in these systems can be

increased, MFC technology may provide a new method to offset wastewater treatment

plant operating costs, making advanced wastewater treatment more affordable for both

developing and industrialized nations.

Chunhua Feng et. al (2009) says that This study reports on the modification of the

anode and the cathode in a dual-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) with a polypyrrole

(PPy)/ anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) conductive film to boost its performance

and the application of the MFC to drive neutral electron-Fenton reactions occurring in the

cathode chamber. The MFC equipped with the conductive film-coated anode and cathode

http://pubs.acs.org/action/doSearch?ContribStored=Ramnarayanan,+R




delivered the maximum power density of 823mWcm-2

that was one order of magnitude

larger than that obtained in the MFC with the unmodified electrodes. This was resulted

from the enhanced activities of microbial metabolism in the anode and oxygen reduction

in the cathode owing to the decoration of both electrodes with the PPy/AQDS composite.

The MFC with the modified electrodes resulted in the largest rate of H2O2 generation in

the cathode chamber by the two-electron reduction ofO2. The increase in the

concentration of H2O2 was beneficial for the enhancement in the amount of hydroxyl

radicals produced by the reaction of H2O2 with Fe2+

, thus allowing an increased oxidative

ability of the electro-Fenton process towards the decolorization and mineralization of an

azodye (i.e., Orange II) at pH 7.0.

Nipon Pisutpaisala et. al (2015) says that Distillery wastewater contains high organic

compounds and nutrients suitable for microorganisms in biological processes such as

microbial fuel cell (MFC) which converts the chemical energy contained in organic

matter into electricity by microorganisms. The bioelectricity production during the

treatment of the distillery wastewater was studied using the air-cathode SC-MFCs. The

distillery wastewater varied concentrations in the range of 125 to 3,000mg COD L-1

and

operated in fed batch mode at 37°C. The results show that the voltage and current outputs

increased with increases in distillery wastewater concentration (0.005-0.055 mA). Greater

soluble chemical oxygen demand (CODS) removal (29.5-56.7%) and total solids

reduction was obtained up 35%. Indicated that the distillery wastewater can produced

bioelectricity and can be treated using the membrane-less, air-cathode SC-MFCs.

Iftikhar A. Raja et. al (2013) says that Natural energy sources like fossil fuels are

depleting due to increased human activities. Different types of alternatives are being

explored to solve this problem with the consideration that they are sustainable. There are

many environmental concerns connected with fossil fuel burning which after oxidation

processes release greater amounts of carbon emissions in atmosphere. Now the trends are

shifting towards exploiting renewable energy options, such asbioethanol, biodiesel,

biohydrogen, biogas, and bioelectricity. Bioelectricity is harvested from organic

substrates using Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) that operate on oxidation reduction (redox)




reactions.MFCs produce electricity in the presence of microorganisms from

biodegradable substances. Waste-water contains enormous amount of organic matter that

can be oxidized in MFC for electricity harvesting. In this review, the main focus is made

on the applicability of microbial fuels cells for simultaneous waste-water treatment and

electricity production.

Animesh Deval et. al (2014) says that Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device which

converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy using microorganisms. MFC is

becoming very important green biotechnological tool to generate clean energy

simultaneously treating waste. Any organic biodegradable matter can be used as feed for

microorganisms that has capacity to generate electrons and protons through their

metabolism, thus help in generation of electricity. In this research, two chambered MFC

has been used to treat an aerobically digested distillery wastewater (ADDW). ADDW

generally goes to lagoons for further degradation and hence ADDW becomes ideal for

extraction of further energy. Aerobes and anaerobes were isolated from ADDW and

checked for the activity in MFC. Endogenous microbial consortium was found to be

playing important role in generation of electricity as individual isolates failed to show the

activity. Mixed consortia could generate 92.25±28.6 mW/m3 power with reduction of

50% TOC within 48 hrs. Thus mixed culture proved to be useful in wastewater treatment

simultaneously generating electricity.

Zhenya Zhang et. al (2013) says that Simultaneous sulfide and organics removals with

electricity generation can be achieved in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In present research,

principles of sulfide removal as well as the involved bacteria in the MFCs with sulfide

and glucose as the complex substrate are investigated. Results indicated that

electrochemical and biological oxidations are the main effects for sulfide removal.

Community analysis shows a great diversity of bacteria on the anode surface, including

the exoelectrogenic bacteria and sulfur-related bacteria. They are present in greater

abundance than those in the MFCs fed with only sulfide and responsible for the effective

electricity generation and sulfide oxidation in our proposed MFCs. The results are

conducive to reveal the interactions between the pollutants and microbes in aspects of

pollutants removals and energy recovery in the MFCs for sulfide removal.




Ashok M. Bhagwat et. al (2014) says that Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) convert chemical

energy into electrical energy using microorganisms. Various factors influence electricity

generation by MFC. Surface areas of cathode and anode have been reported as significant

factors affecting the performance of MFC. Hence, in the present study, the above

mentioned factors were investigated for understanding their influence on generation of

electricity. It was observed that the surface area of cathode did enhance the energy

generation but only up to a certain limit (18.42 cm2). However, surface area of anode was

found to be more important and critical in increase the capacity and sustainability of the

MFC system. Hence, it can be concluded that in an MFC system, bacteria are solely

responsible for generation of electrons and thus, electricity. Providing large surface area

for bacterial growth at anode would thus be a key parameter to enhance the electricity

generation.

Sanin F.D et. al (2015) says that Industrialization and growing population, creates an

extreme pressure on the existing oil and coal reserves and causing a bottleneck called as

"global energy crisis". Natural energy resources such as oil, coal and natural gas are finite

and soon will be consumed together with the rising energy needs and this insecurity will

also affect the global economy. Beside the technological and economical risks associated

with the current energy practices, significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are

being released to the atmosphere by fossil fuels and contribute to global warming. For

this reason, especially within the last decade, countries have devoted significant efforts to

investigate and develop alternative technologies of renewable and sustainable energy

resources to overcome the energy crisis and environmental pollution challenges.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are one of the renewable energy technologies that convert

the chemical energy in the bonds of organic matter into electrical energy via the

biocatalytic activity of microorganisms. In a MFC, substrate is first degraded in the anode

chamber producing electrons and protons. The electrons are carried to the cathode via an

external circuit, whereas the protons pass through the proton exchange membrane (PEM)

to react with the terminal electron acceptor (O2). MFC performance depends on many

factors such as PEM, substrate type, reactor configuration, electrode materials, catalyst,

etc.. Type of substrate is a basic parameter since the organic content of the feed may




enhance or inhibit energy production. Wastewater is one of the substrates that could be

used in a MFC. Today, existing wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are energy

intensive and costly. Considering this, MFCs take the first place among sustainable

energy practices by achieving wastewater treatment and sludge stabilization while

supplying the energy required. However, although MFCs are perfect candidates for

wastewater treatment, their large scale applications are limited due to economic and

technical challenges. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the parameters

affecting the performance of a MFC.

Jie Yang et. al (2013) says that Today's global energy crisis requires a multifaceted

solution. Bioenergy is an important part of the solution. The microbial fuel cell (MFC)

technology stands out as an attractive potential technology in bioenergy. MFCs can

convert energy stored in organic matter directly into bioelectricity. MFCs can also be

operated in the electrolysis mode as microbial electrolysis cells to produce bioproducts

such as hydrogen and ethanol. Various wastewaters containing low-grade organic

carbons that are otherwise unutilized can be used as feed streams for MFCs. Despite

major advances in the past decade, further improvements in MFC power output and cost

reduction are needed for MFCs to be practical. This paper analysed MFC operating

principles using bioenergetics and bioelectrochemistry. Several major issues were

explored to improve the MFC performance. An emphasis was placed on the use of

catalytic materials for MFC electrodes. Recent advances in the production of various

biomaterials using MFCs were also investigated.

Amal Raj et. al (2015) says that The reactor design is the most significant factor in

microbial fuel cell (MFC) which enhances the power production during the treatment of

distillery wastewater. The triple chamber MFC was constructed with two anodes and a

cathode compartment separated by a proton exchange membrane. The power production

in triple chamber MFC was 1.9 times higher as compared to a dual chamber MFC and it

achieved power density of 168 mW/m2 normalized to cathode surface area. However, the

power density production was not much difference in both MFCs with respect to anode

http://www.tandfonline.com/author/Yang,+Jie




surface area. The power density increased from 168 to 198 mW/m2 with decreasing the

inter electrode distance between the anode and cathode. The anolyte and catholyte

concentrations were also varied to determine their effect on power production in triple

chamber MFC. Higher concentrations of substrate in terms of chemical oxygen demand

in the anode chamber exhibited higher power production of 429 mW/m2. The power

production was decreased with increasing the concentration of catholyte in triple chamber

MFC

Booki Min et. al (2004) says that Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) generate much lower

power densities than hydrogen fuel cells, the characteristics of the cathode can also

substantially affect electricity generation. Cathodes used for MFCs are often either Pt-

coated carbon electrodes immersed in water that use dissolved oxygen as the electron

acceptor or they are plain carbon electrodes in a ferricyanide solution. The characteristics

and performance of these two cathodes were compared using a two-chambered MFC.

Power generation using the Pt-carbon cathode and dissolved oxygen (saturated) reached a

maximum of 0.097 mW within 120 h after inoculation (wastewater sludge and 20 mM

acetate) when the cathode was equal size to the anode (2.5 × 4.5 cm). Once stable power

was generated after replacing the MFC with fresh medium (no sludge), the Coulombic

efficiency ranged from 63 to 78%. Power was proportional to the dissolved oxygen

concentration in a manner consistent with Monod-type kinetics, with a half saturation

constant of KDO = 1.74 mg of O2/L. Power increased by 24% when the cathode surface

areas were increased from 22.5 to 67.5 cm2 and decreased by 56% when the cathode

surface area was reduced to 5.8 cm2. Power was also substantially reduced (by 78% to

0.02 mW) if Pt was not used on the cathode. By using ferricyanide instead of dissolved

oxygen, the maximum power increased by 50−80% versus that obtained with dissolved

oxygen. This result was primarily due to increased mass transfer efficiencies and the

larger cathode potential (332 mV) of ferricyanide than that obtained with dissolved

oxygen (268 mV). A cathode potential of 804 mV (NHE basis) is theoretically possible

using dissolved oxygen, indicating that further improvements in cathode performance

with oxygen as the electron acceptor are possible that could lead to increased power

densities in this type of MFC.

http://pubs.acs.org/action/doSearch?ContribStored=Min%2C+B




Geetha .K et. al (2015) says that electricity generation and industrial wastewater

treatment using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with primary treated distillery wastewater as

substrate and permanganate as cathodic electron acceptor was studied. Initially, low

voltage (0.625 V) and current (2.9 mA) were obtained at a substrate loading of 2,680 mg

COD and further increased (1.165 V and 5.40 mA) at 4,360 mg COD with the provided

larger anode surface area and the cathode electron acceptor. As a wastewater treatment,

85% COD was removed at a 2,680 mg COD, whereas at 4,360 mg COD 57% of COD

removal was observed. During electrochemical oxidation, 24.3% and 36% of melanoidins

decolorization with 41.8% and 31% of Coulombic efficiency were also achieved at 2,680

mg COD and 4360 mg COD due to the biocatalytic activity of mixed bacterial

consortium. This study shows the capability of MFC system to treat the high-organic load

as well as generation of energy using biocatalytic oxidation.

Ashley E. Franks et. al (2010) says that Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that can

use bacterial metabolism to produce an electrical current from a wide range organic

substrates. Due to the promise of sustainable energy production from organic wastes,

research has intensified in this field in the last few years. While holding great promise

only a few marine sediment MFCs have been used practically, providing current for low

power devices. To further improve MFC technology an understanding of the limitations

and microbiology of these systems is required. Some researchers are uncovering that the

greatest value of MFC technology may not be the production of electricity but the ability

of electrode associated microbes to degrade wastes and toxic chemicals. We conclude

that for further development of MFC applications, a greater focus on understanding the

microbial processes in MFC systems is required.

Sridevi V et. al (2013) says that In whole world, cane molasses base distilleries are

included under one of the polluting industries in concern to water pollution. After

fermentation remains waste from bottom of distillation columns, termed stillage. This

highly aqueous residue containing organic soluble is considered a troublesome and

potentially polluting waste due to its extremely high BOD and COD values. The typical

odour emanating from distilleries is a major nuisance. The color of the spent wash

http://www.mdpi.com/search?authors=Ashley%20E.%20Franks&orcid=




interferes with its oxygenation and self-purification. The treatment of distillery wastes is

a priority area for environmental sustenance and its quality. Due to the large volumes of

effluents and presence of certain recalcitrant compounds the treatment of this stream is

rather challenging by conventional methods. Therefore to supplement the existing

treatments, a number of studies encompassing physic-chemical and biological treatments

have been conducted. This review presents an account of the problem, biological

treatment methods and role of enzymes in decolorizing wastewater.

Emre Oguz Koroglu et. al (2014) says that Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio

electrochemical systems, which enable to convert chemical energy directly into electrical

energy with microorganism. Studies focused on using organic materials of waste to

increase power production performance. In this study two different MFC reactors were

investigated to produce electricity using domestic wastewater. The highest current and

power density were 1385 mA/ and 16 mW/ combination with 78% COD removal.

Ti-Ti/CMI7000 assemblies generated 750mA/ of current densities and 5mW/ of

power density and HRT of 1 day was found favourable for MFC system.

Anupama et. al (2011) says that Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a type of renewable

technology for electricity generation since it recovers energy from renewable materials

that are difficult to dispose of such as organic wastes and wastewaters. In the present

study, mixed consortia from domestic sewage were used in Double Chambered Microbial

Fuel Cell for the treatment of distillery wastewater. Distillery wastewater was diluted to

get different concentrations from 1100 mg COD/L to 10100 mg COD/L and this was

given as feed to microbes present in MFC. The COD removal efficiency increased with

the increase in feed concentrations until 6100 mg COD/L and further increase in feed

concentration led to deterioration in the COD removal efficiency and current generation.

The maximum COD removal of 64% was achieved at the feed concentration of 6100 mg

COD/L. MFC produced a maximum current of 0.36 mA and power density of 18.35

mW/ .




Yujie Feng et. al (2007) says that Effective wastewater treatment using microbial fuel

cells (MFCs) will require a better understanding of how operational parameters and

solution chemistry affect treatment efficiency, but few studies have examined power

generation using actual wastewaters. The efficiency of wastewater treatment of a beer

brewery wastewater was examined here in terms of maximum power densities, Columbic

efficiencies (CEs), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal as a function of

temperature and wastewater strength. Decreasing the temperature from 30°C to 20°C

reduced the maximum power density from 205m (5.1 , 0.76 ; 30°C)

buffering capacity strongly affected reactor performance. The addition of a 50-mM

phosphate buffer increased power output by 136% to438m , and 200 mM buffer

increased power by 158% to 528 mW/ . In the absence of salts (NaCl), maximum

power output varied linearly with wastewater strength (84 to 2,240 mg COD/L) from 29

to 205 mW/ . When NaCl was added to increase conductivity, power output followed a

Monod-like relationship with wastewater strength. The maximum power (Pmax)

increased in proportion to the solution conductivity, but the half-saturation constant was

relatively unaffected and showed no correlation to solution conductivity. These results

show that brewery wastewater can be effectively treated using MFCs, but that achievable

power densities will depend on wastewater strength, solution conductivity, and buffering

capacity.

Yogita P. Labrath et. al (2013) says that a single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC)

was operated with distillery spent wash (DSW) wastewater and microorganisms in cow-

dung as inoculum source from pH is 4 to 9. MFC signifies maximum current in the

sequence of pH 6 (0.46 mA) > pH 7 (0.4 mA) > pH 8-9 (0.16-0.19 mA); whereas the

chemical oxygen demand (COD) removed in order of pH 8-9 (80-81%) > pH 7 (79%) >

pH 6 (68%). The losses in columbic yield were due to alternating electron acceptors and

air diffusion through the reactor. The polarization curve yielded the maximum current

density of 84 mA/m and maximum power density 2 of 29 mW/ at an external

resistance of 820 (pH 6). The cyclic voltammetry (CV) demonstrated 3-electron transfer

process with best electrochemical responses at pH 6 and 7. The MFC at desired operating

conditions showed a positive response for bioelectricity generation.




Sara Borin et. al (2014) says that Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a useful biotechnology to

produce electrical energy from different organic substrates. This work reports for the first

time results of the application of single chamber MFCs to generate electrical energy from

diluted white wine (WWL) and red wine (RWL) lees. Power obtained was of 8.2

W/ (262 mW/ ; 500 U) and of 3.1W/ (111 mW/ ; 500U) using white and red

wine lees, respectively. Biological processes lead to a reduction of chemical oxygen

(TCOD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD5) of 27% and 83% for RWL and of 90%

and 95% for WWL, respectively. These results depended on the degradability of organic

compounds contained, as suggest by BOD5/TCOD of WWL (0.93) v/s BOD5/TCOD of

RWL (0.33), and to the high presence of polyphenols in RWL that inhibited the process.

Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 15 ± 0%, for WWL, was in line with those reported in the

literature for other substrates, i.e. CE of 14.9 ± 11.3%. Different substrates led to

different microbial consortia, particularly at the anode. Bacterial species responsible for

the generation of electricity, were physically connected to the electrode, where the direct

electron transfer took place.

Purushottam Khairnar et. al (2013) says that One of the most important environmental

problems faced by the world is management of wastes. Industrial processes create a

variety of wastewater pollutants; which are difficult and costly to treat. Wastewater

characteristics and levels of pollutants vary significantly from industry to industry. Now-

a-days emphasis is laid on waste minimization and revenue generation through byproduct

recovery. Pollution prevention focuses on preventing the generation of wastes, while

waste minimization refers to reducing the volume or toxicity of hazardous wastes by

water recycling and reuse, and process modifications and the byproduct recovery as a fall

out of manufacturing process creates ample scope for revenue generation thereby

offsetting the costs substantially. Production of ethyl alcohol in distilleries based on cane

sugar molasses constitutes a major industry in Asia and South America. The world’s total

production of alcohol from cane molasses is more than13 million /annum. The

aqueous distillery effluent stream known as spent wash is a dark brown highly organic

effluent and is approximately 12-15 times by volume of the product alcohol. It is one of




the most complex, troublesome and strongest organic industrial effluents, having

extremely high COD and BOD values. Because of the high concentration of organic load,

distillery spent wash is a potential source of renewable energy. The project of the status

and appropriate treatment alternatives for disposal of the distillery wastewater.

T.R. Sreekrishnan et. al (2013) says that Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) present a novel

method for simultaneous bioelectricity generation and wastewater treatment. In this

study, an air–cathode MFC with membrane-electrode assembly was operated over three

batch cycles (total of 160 days) and results indicated that molasses mixed sewage

wastewater(high strength wastewater) containing 9978 mg/L of chemical oxygen demand

(COD) could be used as substrate to produce bioelectricity with this system. Three

different compositions of wastewater were used as substrate. The original wastewater,

half-diluted wastewater and centrifuged wastewater were used as substrate in MFCs.

Maximum voltage output of 762 mV and maximal power density of382.5 mW/ (5.06

W/ ) were obtained with the original wastewater by the 14th day of operation. During

this time the system evolved to 0.93 internal resistance and 59% removal of the total

CODwere achieved. Centrifuged wastewater showed poor performance in terms of power

production (0.12 mW/ or 4.2 mW ), presumably due to organic substrate limitations.

The MFC running on diluted wastewater showed a power density of 56.17 mW/ (2.25

mW/ ), with 70% COD removal.Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX)

analysis, together with other characterization methods, confirmedthe breakdown of

organic compounds in the wastewater, EDX and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

revealed the surface morphology of the materials utilized and showed the evolution in

electrode and membrane composition after the long term MFC processes. Denaturing

Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles showed the presence of mixed populations

enclosing the electrochemically-active bacteria that established a biofilm on the anode

surface and as such differed from the suspended bacterial community in the anode

medium. These results demonstrate that complex wastewater can be used as a substrate

for power generation in MFCs and also can be treated with high COD removal

efficiencies.




Lekshmi S.R et. al (2013) says that Distillery industries in India pose a very serious

threat to the environment because of the large volume of wastewater they generate which

contains significant amount of recalcitrant compounds. Distillery spent wash has very

high COD and BOD with low pH and dark brown color. The treatment of spent wash

using various treatment technologies and reactor configurations has been widely

explored. However, none of the work reports about the performance of most advanced

hybrid configuration of reactors at various operating conditions for the treatment of spent

wash. Therefore, the study has been undertaken to assess the performance of Hybrid

Anaerobic Baffle Reactor (HABR) for the treatment of distillery wastewater (spent

wash). The main objective of the paper is to explore the use of anaerobic digestion as

complete solution to treat BOD and COD in the same reactor in conjunction with suitable

oxidation technique. The above proposed methodology will be used for treating raw

effluent from the distilleries which can be further reused for agriculture or other purposes.

The availability of enhanced amount of biogas from reactors shall make proposed

technology attractive to the industry.

Pawar Avinash Shivajirao et. al (2012) says that The purification of waste water from

various industrial processes is a worldwide problem of increasing importance due to the

restricted amounts of water suitable for direct use, the high price of the purification and

the necessity of utilizing the waste products. Maintaining the drinking water quality is

essential to public health. Although various water treatments is a common practice for

supplying good quality of water from a source of water, maintaining an adequate water

quality throughout a distribution system has never been an easy task. Municipal,

agricultural and industrial liquid or solid wastes differ very much in their chemical,

physical and biological characteristics. The diverse spectrum of wastes requiring efficient

treatment has focused the attention of researchers on membrane, ion-exchange and

biological technologies. The most effective and ecological technological systems

developed during the past 20 years are as a rule based on a combination of the chemical,

physical and biological methods. Anaerobic digestion, anaerobic filters, lagoons,

activated sludge and trickling filters have all been successfully applied to the treatment of




distillery wastewater. Membrane and membrane separation techniques with immobilized

microorganism or enzyme have very significant role in treatment of distillery wastewater.

Sohail Ayub et. al (2014) says that The distillery sector is one of the seventeen categories

of major polluting industries in India. These units generate large volume of dark brown

colored wastewater, which is known as “spent wash”. Liquid wastes from breweries and

distilleries possess a characteristically high pollution load and have continued to pose a

critical problem of environmental pollution in many countries. The principal pollution

effects of the wastewaters of these fermentation industries on a water course are multiple

in natures. An attempt has been made to high light the treatment of distillery spent wash

by using natural adsorbent. The results obtained herein indicate the feasibility of

activated carbon used as an adsorbent for removal of pollutants from distillery spent

wash. The results show the significant amount of reduction of pollutants by activated

carbon. The study concluded that adsorbent dosage, contact time and effluent dilutions all

the three are important parameters affecting the pollutants removal by adsorption.

K.Haribabu et. al (2014) says that In this study, a bio carrier made up of low density

polypropylene of surface area 524 m per particle and of density 870 kg/ was used in

the treatment of wastewater using fluidized bed reactor. Holdup studies are performed for

bed heights (0.2 m to 0.8m) to predict the operating conditions. The effect of Bed height

(0.6 m to 1 m), Hydraulic retention time (6 hr to 40 hr), and superficial gas velocity

(0.00106 m/s, 0.00159 m/s, 0.00212 m/s), Concentration (2 g/L – 7.5 g/L) on the

percentage of COD reduction were studied. For bed height of 0.8m, optimum holdup and

maximum COD reduction was obtained. From the results, it was observed that percentage

of COD reduction increases as the superficial gas velocity increases and decreases as the

initial concentration decreases. A COD reduction of 97.5% was achieved at an initial

concentration of 2 g/L and for a superficial gas velocity of 0.00212 m/s at hydraulic

retention time of 40 hr.

Prathap Parameswaran et. al (2016) says that Spent yeast (SY), a major challenge for

the brewing industry, was treated using a microbial electrolysis cell to recover energy.




Concentrations of SY from bench alcoholic fermentation and ethanol were tested, ranging

from 750 to 1500 mg COD/L and 0 to 2400 mg COD/L respectively. COD removal

efficiency (RE), columbic efficiency (CE), columbic recovery (CR), hydrogen production

and current density were evaluated. The best treatment condition was

750 mg COD/L SY + 1200 mg COD/L ethanol giving higher COD RE, CE, CR

(90 ± 1%, 90 ± 2% and 81 ± 1% respectively), as compared with 1500 mg COD/L SY

(76 ± 2%, 63 ± 7% and 48 ± 4% respectively); ethanol addition was significantly

favourable (p value = 0.011), possibly due to electron availability and SY autolysis.

1500 mg COD/L SY + 1200 mg COD/L ethanol achieved higher current density

(222.0 ± 31.3 A/m3) and hydrogen production (2.18 ± 0.66 %) but with lower efficiencies

(87 ± 2% COD RE, 71.0±.4% CE). Future work should focus on electron sinks,

acclimation and optimizing SY breakdown.

Jackson Z Lee et. al (2015) says that Already half of all global fish stocks have been

deemed fully exploited which has led to the collapse of several fisheries and the potential

collapse of others over the next several decades Concomitantly, aquaculture (the farm

rearing of fish) has grown at an annual rate of 14% (FAO Fisheries Department, ).

Because aquaculture feed production relies on significant amounts of non-sustainable fish

meal protein harvested from ocean fisheries, further aquaculture growth will result in

more fish meal shortages and further depletion of ocean fisheries. Therefore, there has

been renewed interest in the development of less expensive and more sustainable fish

meal replacements. In the brewing industry, solid by products of various forms (spent

grains, hops, yeasts, etc.), once a costly landfill waste, have become a livestock feed

source. Even after this removal of solids, a large amount of dissolved carbon still remains

in the typical brewery wastewater. This brewery waste can be aerobically and

microbiologically treated in a process-wastewater treatment facility and the carbon-

degrading microbiota harvested as dried microbial biomass, called single-cell protein

(SCP). A major concern has been the negative performance and connotations associated

with wastewater and, in particular, reuse of raw sewage.

M. Muthukumar et. al (2014) says that Effect of NaCl on electricity generation, COD

removal, reduction in carbohydrate and starch content in dual chambered, salt bridge

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Lee%20JZ%5Bauth%5D




Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) employing raw sago-processing wastewater with an organic

load of 14,400 mg COD/l as substrate was evaluated. Four dual chambered MFCs were

constructed and the study aimed to find out the impact of addition of NaCl which is

carried out for effective MFC performance. Isolation and identification of microbes from

initial influent and final effluent was performed using serial dilution, spread plate and

selective agar techniques. Interestingly, it was found that the MFC in which NaCl was

added to its cathode chamber was best in performance compared to other three MFCs,

with a maximum voltage of 603mV and current of 6.03mA. It also documented that the

maximum COD removal efficiency of 83% with a total reduction of carbohydrate and

starch content from the wastewater was obtained. Utilizing sago wastewater for the

production of bioelectricity from MFC technique is considered as a feasible and

sustainable process.

Abhilasha Singh Mathuriya et. al (2012) says that Renewable energy is an increasing

need in our society. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a new method for

treating wastewater and simultaneously producing electricity. In the present study,

we demonstrated the feasibility of bioelectricity generation from brewery wastewater

treatment using a mediator less MFC at different pH. We also demonstrated that

addition of readily utilizable substrates like glucose and sucrose to the wastewater

can enhance the electricity production and COD removal. pH 7 was most

favorable for Bioelectricity production. Up to 10.89 mA current generation and 93.8%

COD removal efficiency was obtained by this method.

Adesoji T et. al (2015) says that Water is a scarce resource in many parts of the world;

consequently the application of innovative strategies to treat wastewater for reuse is a

priority. The brewery industry is one of the largest industrial users of water, but its

effluent is characterised by high levels of organic contaminants which require

remediation before reuse.




CHAPTER 3

MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 MATERIALS USED FOR DC-MFC

1. Perplex glass material for reactor fabrication

2. Filter media- Milk Marbles and glass wool

3. 4 Copper Electrodes

4. 16-Strands Copper Wire

5. Seeding bottle of 3 litre capacity

6. Aerator

7. Digital Multimeter

Plate 3.1 Perplex Glass Reactor




Plate 3.2 Filter media- Milk Marbles

Plate 3.3 Filter media- Glass Wool




Plate 3.4 Copper electrodes

Plate 3.5 Seeding Bottle




Plate 3.6 Aerator

Plate 3.7 Digital Multimeter




REACTOR SETUP

Plate 3.8 Reactor Setup

DESCRIPTION

The DC-MFC is fabricated with perplex glass of 5mm thickness with the capacity of 5.24

liters. Copper electrodes were used and the positioning of the electrodes were worked out.

The reactor was set up by placing the semi-permeable membrane consisting of glass wool

and milk marbles between the two aerobic chambers. The inlet chamber was connected with

an aerator (Talyomax, T1-100). A three liters capacity bottle was connected to the reactor to

seed the distillery wastewater to the reactor with a controlled flow rate and a digital

multimeter was connected to record the bio-electricity generated in mV.




3.2 METHODOLOGY:

Various parameters considered are:

1. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

2. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

3. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

COD is the measurement of oxygen in water consumed for chemical oxidation of pollutants.

It determines the quantity of oxygen required to oxidize the organic matter in water or

wastewater sample, under specific conditions of oxidizing agent, temperature and time.

BOD determination is the chemical procedure for determining the amount of dissolved

oxygen needed by aerobic organisms in a water body to break the organic materials present

in the given water sample at certain temperature over a specific period of time.

TDS refers to materials that are completely dissolved in water these solids are filterable in

nature. It is defined as residue upon evaporation of filterable sample.

3.2.1 CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND

APPARATUS USED:

COD digester

Burette and burette stand

COD Vials with Stand

250ml conical flask

Pipettes

Pipette bulb

Tissue Paper

Wash Bottles




Plate 3.9 COD Digester

CHEMICALS USED:

Organic Freed Distilled Water

Ferroin Indicator

Potassium Dichromate

Silver Sulphate

Mercury Sulphate

Sulphuric Acid

Ferrous Aluminium Sulphate

PROCEDURE:

Three COD vails with stopper were taken (two for the sample and one for the blank.

Then 2.5 ml of sample was added to each of the two vails and the remaing COD vails

for blank; and distilled water was added.

1.5 ml of potassium dichromate reagent - digestion solution was added to each of the

three COD vails and 3.5 ml of sulphuric acid reagent – catalyst solution was added in

the same manner.




Tubes were closed tightly and the COD digester was switched on and the temperature

was maintained at 1500C and time was set for two hours.

Then the COD vails were placed into a block digester at 1500C and heated for two

hours.

The vails were removed and allowed to cool at room temperature.

The burette was filled with ferrous ammonia sulphate and adjusted to zero and the

burette was fixed to the stand.

Contents of the blank vails were transferred to the conical flask.

Few drops of Ferroin indicator were added to the solution and the solution turns into

bluish green in colour.

The solution was titrated with the ferrous ammonium sulphate taken in the burette.

End point of titration was indicated by reddish brown colour.

Known volume ferrous ammonium sulphate solution is added for the blank (A) was

noted down.

The contents of the sample vail were then transferred into conical flask.

Few drops of Ferroin indicator was added and the solution turns green in colour.

Ferrous ammonium sulphate taken in the burette was then titrated.

End point of the titration was found by appearance of the reddish brown colour.

Volume of the ferrous ammonia sulphate solution added for the sample (B) was noted

down.

CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND = ((A – B)* 8 * 1000)/ volume of the sample.




3.2.2 BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND

APPARATUS USED:

BOD incubator

Burette and burette stand

300 ml glass stopper BOD bottles

500 ml conical flask

Pipettes with elongated tips

Pipette bulb

250 ml graduated cylinders

Wash bottle

Plate 3.10 BOD Incubator




CHEMICALS USED:

Calcium Chloride

Magnesium Chloride

Ferric Chloride

Di potassium Hydrogen Phosphate

Potassium Di Hydrogen Phosphate

Ammonium Chloride

Manganese Sulphate

Potassium hydroxide

Potassium iodide

Sodium indicator

Sodium thiosulphate

PROCEDURE:

Four 300 ml glass stoppered BOD bottles were taken.

10 ml of the sample were added to each of the two BOD bottles and remaining

quantities was filled with dilution water.

The remaining two BOD bottle were for blank, dilution water was added to these two

bottles.

After the addition glass stopper was placed immediately over the BOD bottles and the

number of bottles for identification was noted down.

One blank solution bottle and one sample solution bottle in a BOD incubator at 200 C

for 5 days were preserved.

Then the other two bottles (blank and sample) were analyzed immediately.

2 ml of manganese sulphate was added to the BOD bottle by inserting the calibrated

pipette just below the surface of the liquid.

Then 2 ml of alkali-iodide-azide reagent is added in the same manner.




The pipette was dipped inside the sample or else oxygen will be introduced to the

surface.

Then it was allowed to settle for sufficient time in order to react completely with

oxygen.

As soon as this floc has settled to the bottle, shake the contents thoroughly by turning

it upside down.

2 ml of concentrated sulphuric acid was added via pipette held just above the surface

of the sample.

Then it was stoppered carefully and inverted several times to dissolve the floc.

After the transfer of contents to Erlenmeyer flask, titration was started.

Burette then rinsed with sodium thiosulphate and then filled it with sodium

thiosulphate and then the burette was fixed to the stand.

203 ml of solution from the bottle was measured and transferred to an Erlenmeyer

flask.

The solution along with standard sodium thiosulphate solution was titrated until the

yellow color of liberated iodine was almost faded out and 1ml of starch solution was

added.

The titration was then continued until the blue color disappears to colourless.

The volume of sodium thiosulphate solution added which gives the D.O in mg/l was

noted down.

This titration was repeated for concordant values.

After five days, the bottle from the BOD incubator and then the sample and the blank

for DO was analyzed.

2 ml of manganese sulphate was added to the BOD bottle by inserting the calibrated

pipette just below the surface of the liquid.

Then again 2 ml of alkali-iodide-azide reagent was added in the same manner.

If oxygen is present a brownish-orange cloud of precipitate or floc will appear.

It was allowed to settle for sufficient time in order to react completely with oxygen.

When this floc has settled to the bottom the content was shaken thoroughly by turning

it upside down.




2 ml of concentrated sulphuric acid was added via a pipette held just above the

surface of the sample

It was carefully stoppered and inverted several times to dissolve the floc.

Titration was started immediately after the transfer of contents to Erlenmeyer flask.

The solution was titrated with standard sodium thiosulphate solution until the yellow

color of liberated iodine was almost faded out.

1ml of starch solution was added and the titration was continued until the blue color

to colorless.

The volume of sodium thiosulphate solution added was noted down. Which gives the

D.O in mg/l, the titration was repeated for concordant values.




3.2.3 TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS)

APPARATUS USED:

Porcelain Dish

Analytical Weighing Balance

Hot Air Oven

Desiccator

Plate 3.11 Hot air Oven

PROCEDURE:

First an empty porcelain dish was dried and weighed (W1).

A known volume (V) of sample was added to the porcelain dish and weighed again

(W2).

Then it was dried in the hot air oven for 24 hours at a temperature of 103-1050C.

Then it was cooled in a desiccator and final weight (W3) was found.

TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS = [(W2 – W3)/V]*100




CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF DISTILLERYWASTEWATER

Table 4.1 Initial Characterization of distillery wastewater

PARAMETERS Influent

Concentration

(mg/L)

Trial 1

Influent

Concentration

(mg/L)

Trial 2

Influent

Concentration

(mg/L)

Trial 3

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

20588.40

20144.60

19582.60

Chemical Oxygen Demand

8200

8350

8600

Total Dissolved Solids

784

792.80

820.52




Plate 4.1: Sampled Distillery Wastewater




4.2 DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF DC-MFC

The design details of DC-MFC are shown in the table 4.2

Table 4.2: Design details of DC-MFC

SL

No

COMPONETS DESCRIPTION DIMENSION

1 DC-MFC Aerobic chamber 1 Rectangular Type

Perplex Glass

Length = 14.00 cm

Breadth = 19.00 cm

Height = 11.50 cm

Aerobic chamber 2 Rectangular Type

Perplex Glass

Length = 11.50 cm

Breadth =19.00 cm

Height = 14.80 cm

2 Capacity / Volume

5240 mL/Day

3 Inlet Opening

Outlet Opening

Tap Facility 0.8 cm Opening

4 Copper Electrodes

Rectangular Type Length = 10.00 cm

Breadth = 4.00 cm

Thickness = 0.10 cm




4.3 EVALUATION OF THE EFFICIENCY OF DC-MFC TO TREAT

DISTILLERY WASTEWATER

Following parameters for the treatment of distillery wastewater were considered:

1. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

2. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

3. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

4.3.1 BIO CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)

The BOD removal efficiency is shown in the table 4.3. The variations in the BOD conc. of

influent and effluent are shown in fig 4.3 and the removal efficiency is shown in fig 4.4.

Table 4.3: BOD removal efficiency

Trial No Influent

(mg/L)

Effluent

(mg/L)

Removal

Efficiency

(%)

1 20588.40 692.40 96.34

2 20144.60 762.80 96.21

3 19582.60 854.32 95.64

4 19234.69 832.76 95.67

5 19820 800 95.96

6 18640.50 799.32 95.69

7 18504.20 862.50 95.34

8 18923.50 854.56 95.48

9 18620.90 745.30 96.00

10 18823.50 764.31 95.94




Fig 4.3 Variation of BOD Conc. for different lab trials

Fig 4.4 Variation in percentage removal efficiency for BOD

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

BO

D C

on

cen

trat

ion

(m

g/L)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Influent (mg/L) 20588.4 20144.6 19582.6 19234.69 19820 18640.5 18504.2 18923.5 18620.9 18823.5

Effluent (mg/L) 692.4 762.8 854.32 832.76 800 799.32 862.5 854.56 745.3 764.31

Variation in BOD

95.2

95.4

95.6

95.8

96

96.2

96.4

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Re

mo

val E

ffic

ien

cy (

%)

Trial No.

Variation of Efficiency




4.3.2 CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD)

The COD removal efficiency is shown in the table 4.4. The variations in the BOD conc. of


Table 4.4: COD removal efficiency

Trial No Influent

(mg/L)

Effluent

(mg/L)

Removal

Efficiency

(%)

1 8200 740 90.97

2 8350 765 90.84

3 8600 400 95.34

4 8950 420 95.31

5 9260 460 95.03

6 9560 376 98.12

7 9985 398 96.01

8 8432 387 95.41

9 8200 419 94.89

10 8762 412 95.29




Fig 4.5 Variation of COD Conc. for different lab trials

Fig 4.6 Variation in percentage removal efficiency for COD

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CO

D C

on

cen

trat

ion

(m

g/L)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Influent (mg/L) 8200 8350 8600 8950 9260 9560 9985 8432 8200 8762

Effluent (mg/L) 740 765 400 420 460 376 398 387 419 412

Variation in COD

90

92

94

96

98

100

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Re

mo

val E

ffic

ien

cy (

%)

Trial No.





4.3.3 TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS)

The BOD removal efficiency is shown in the table 4.5. The variations in the BOD conc. of


Table 4.5: TDS removal efficiency

Trial No Influent

(mg/L)

Effluent

(mg/L)

Removal

Efficiency

(%)

1 784 426 45.66

2 792.80 453 42.86

3 820.52 328.62 59.95

4 834.50 356.76 57.25

5 822 412 49.87

6 848.30 435.60 48.65

7 892 402 54.93

8 765.30 453.87 40.69

9 812.50 375 53.85

10 794.20 392 50.64




Fig 4.7 Variation of TDS Conc. for different trials

Fig 4.8 Variation in percentage removal efficiency for TDS

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TDS

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n (

mg/

L)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Influent (mg/L) 784 792.8 820.52 834.5 822 848.3 892 765.3 812.5 794.2

Effluent (mg/L) 426 453 328.62 356.76 412 435.6 402 453.87 375 392

Variation of TDS

40

45

50

55

60

65

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Re

mo

val E

ffic

ien

cy (

%)

Trial No.





4.3.4 Variation in Bio- Electricity Generation:

The Variation in Bio- Electricity generation is shown in the table 4.6

Table 4.6: Variation in Bio- Electricity generation

Trial No Voltage (mV)

1 170.32

2 175.32

3 178.58

4 182.25

5 185.65

6 186.35

7 189.32

8 199.9

9 195.32

10 198.32

Fig 4.9 Variation in Bio-Electricity generation

165

170

175

180

185

190

195

200

205

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

volt

age

(m

V)

Trail No

Voltage variation (mV)




Plate 4.2 Comparison of Color of Treated and Untreated Distillery Wastewater




4.6 DISCUSSION

All the samples collected were subjected to continuous treatment and the results are

discussed below.

As depicted in table 4.3, ten trials were conducted to evaluate the BOD removal

efficiency with DC-MFC. In the first trial the influent BOD concentration was found to be

20588.4 mg/L, which came down to 692.4 mg/L, thereby showing an efficiency of 96.34%.

Similar trends were observed for all the trials and the overall BOD removal efficiencies

ranged between 95.34% and 96.34%. As shown in table 4.4, ten trials were conducted to

evaluate the COD removal efficiency with DC-MFC. In the first trial the influent COD

concentration was found to be 8200 mg/L, which came down to 740 mg/L, after treatment

thereby showing an efficiency of 90.97% and rest of the trials followed a similar trend, with

the overall COD removal efficiency ranging between 90.84% and 98.12%. As depicted in

table 4.5, in the first trial the influent TDS concentration was found to be 784 mg/L, which

came down to 426 mg/L after treatment. Similar trends were observed for all the trials with

the overall TDS removal efficiency ranging between 40.69% and 59.95%. The maximum

electricity generated was 199.90 mV.




CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK

5.1 CONCLUSION

The maximum concentrations of parameters BOD, COD and TDS in the sampled

distillery wastewater were found to be 20588.4 mg/L, 9985 mg/L and 892 mg/L

respectively.

The design of the rector has been done as per the design details using perplex glass

and copper electrodes. It has been proved highly efficient.

After the treatment, concentrations of parameters BOD, COD and TDS, in the

effluent of distillery wastewater were found to be 692.40 mg/L, 398 mg/L and 402

mg/L respectively. The considerable Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD),

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency ranged between 95.34% to

96.34% and 90.84% to 98.12% respectively.

After the treatment considerable reduction in Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

concentrations was observed, and the efficiency ranged between 40.69% to 59.95%

respectively.

Significant reduction of colour and odour has been achieved.

The work was focused on bio-electricity generation simultaneously and a maximum

output power of 199.90 mV was generated.

All though the energy that could be captured from wastewater is not enough to

power a city, it is large enough to someday power a treatment plant. With advance,

capturing this power could achieve energy sustainability for the water infrastructure.




5.2 SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK

The reactor capacity could be scaled up to achieve higher bio-electricity generation.

The overall efficiency of the reactor could be tested for different electrode materials.

The efficiency of the reactor to generate bio-electricity could be tested for different

types of wastewater.




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Biotechnology.




Name: Deekshit Shetty

DOB: 23/12/1994

Permanent Address : S/O Kusha Shetty ,#28/14Indrayani Apartment,

Sector-19, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, Pin-400708

Email: [email protected]

Contact No: +91-9686368213

Field of Interest: Structural Engineering, Environmental Engineering ,

Transportation Engineering




Name: Devisha D Shetty

DOB: 01/05/1994

Permanent Address : D/O Divakar M Shetty, DEVIKRIPA ,Kandavara post

Mangalore Tq ,Pin-574151


Contact No: +91-8722826557

Field of Interest: Environmental Engineering, Interior Designing.

mailto:[email protected]




Name: Karishma Kiran P

DOB: 14/05/1994

Permanent Address : D/O Balaji P, #B/25 Southern Residency, KHB Road, Behind

Pushpanjali Theatre, RT Nagar, Bangalore.

Pin:560032


Contact No: +91-9008350394

Field of Interest: Environmental Engineering, Construction Technology &

Management , Interior Designing.

mailto:[email protected]




Name: Lakshmi Tulasi C H

DOB: 16/06/1995

Permanent Address : D/O Venkanna C H, K. Gudidinni (Post), Srinivas Camp, Manvi

(Tq), Raichur, Pin:584123


Contact No: +91-9535193351

Field of Interest: Environmental Engineering, Structural Engineering, Interior

Designing.

Documents

DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF DUAL CHAMBERED … · an anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) and a MFC was designed in this study. It was used to treat alcohol distillery wastewater and