Energy Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Systems for Forward Operating Bases Based on Microbial Fuel Cells and Microbial Desalination Cells
ER-2216
Objective
A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an innovative method using exoelectrogenic bacteria to oxidize organic and inorganic matter in wastewater, accomplishing at the same time both wastewater treatment and electrical power generation. The objective of this project is to improve the materials and configurations of MFCs and then to build and characterize continuous flow systems for energy-neutral treatment of gray water and blackwater at forward operating bases (FOBs). Novel anode, cathode, and separator designs will be used to demonstrate that gray water and blackwater can be treated to sufficient quality to enable a number of nonpotable re-uses. A final objective is to develop engineering design criteria and prepare conceptual engineering designs and drawings for pilot-scale MFCs that can be demonstrated and validated in the field.
Technical Approach
Several different materials and reactor configurations will be examined, following which researchers will design, build, and test bench-scale MFCs having configurations that are suitable for modular scale-up to sizes applicable to FOBs. Specifically, the team will develop and test small-diameter graphite fiber brush anodes, inexpensive cathode designs that use novel materials—a Co catalyst, cobalt tetramethoxyphenyl porphyrin (CoTMPP)—or activated carbon (AC) materials industrially manufactured or produced in the laboratory to obviate the need for expensive precious metals such as platinum, and novel spacer materials. The effectiveness of these materials will be characterized in MFCs through performance studies and polarization data, as well as by using various electrochemical techniques, including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and linear sweep voltammetry. Flow-through MFCs will be designed and constructed and then used to treat actual wastewaters (taken from the Penn State wastewater treatment plant) to obtain realistic performance data that cannot be obtained using synthetic wastewaters.
Benefits
Transport of water, wastewater, fuel, and treatment chemicals to and from FOBs represents a security risk. MFCs can minimize this risk by treating gray water and blackwater in an energy-neutral configuration. Energy generation from gray water and blackwater is possible but economically may not be the most practical approach due to the low energy content of these wastewaters. Aeration, however, is the primary energy consumer for conventional wastewater treatment, and MFCs eliminate the need for active aeration while at the same time producing treated wastewater. This treated wastewater can be re-used in a variety of scenarios including vehicle coolant, aircraft washing, pest control, field laundry, centralized hygiene (field showers), personnel decontamination, retrograde cargo washing, and heat casualty body cooling. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2015)
Points of Contact
Principal Investigator
Dr. Bruce Logan
Pennsylvania State University
Phone: 814-863-7908
Fax: 814-863-7304
Document Types
- Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
- Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
- Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
- Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
- Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
- Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
- Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
- Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
- Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.