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Effects of electrolyte conductivity on power generation in bio-electrochemical systems

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Abstract

Bio-electrochemical systems (BESs) have recently attracted considerable attention as a promising technology for sustainable wastewater treatment. However, the practical applications of BESs remain limited partly because the conductivity of actual wastewater can vary from 0.2 to 40 ms/cm which is out of the appropriate range for power generation. Herein, we investigated the effect of anolyte and catholyte conductivities on power generation. The maximum current density (0.73 mA/cm2) was achieved by reactors using an anolyte solution with a conductivity of 14.93 ± 0.02 ms/cm; this was four times higher than the minimum current density (0.13 mA/cm2), obtained using a solution with a conductivity of 2.61 ± 0.04 ms/cm. Anolyte conductivity was found to be the primary rate-limiting factor for power generation and had a greater effect than the conductivity of the catholyte. Furthermore, an anolyte conductivity range of 6.45–14.93 ms/cm was found to be most appropriate for superior BES performance.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51478431), a Science and Technology Planning Project from the Science and Technology Department in Zhejiang Province (2015C33025), and the Xingmiao talent project in Zhejiang province (2016R408030, 2016R408028).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Yuan Gu, Huajun Feng, Xianbin Ying, Kun Chen, Jiazheng Cheng, Haoqian Huang, Shuting Zhen & Dongsheng Shen

  2. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Yuan Gu, Huajun Feng, Xianbin Ying, Kun Chen, Jiazheng Cheng, Shuting Zhen & Dongsheng Shen

Authors
  1. Yuan Gu
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  2. Huajun Feng
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  3. Xianbin Ying
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  4. Kun Chen
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  5. Jiazheng Cheng
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  6. Haoqian Huang
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  7. Shuting Zhen
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  8. Dongsheng Shen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Huajun Feng.

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Highlights

• Anolyte conductivity is the primary rate-limiting factor for power generation.

• We determined the applicable conductivity range for power generation.

• Both high and low conductivity inhibit the activity of microorganisms.

Electronic supplementary material

Fig. S1

The scheme of the used reactors. (PNG 335 kb)

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Gu, Y., Feng, H., Ying, X. et al. Effects of electrolyte conductivity on power generation in bio-electrochemical systems. Ionics 23, 2069–2075 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-017-2047-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-017-2047-4

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