Development of microbial electrochemical cells for hydrogen production and autotrophic denitrification

随着加拿大人口和工业的扩大，城市污水处理厂（WWTPs）面临着越来越多的污染物负荷。 由于缺乏资金或可用土地面积，建造新的污水处理厂并不是处理日益增加的污染物负荷的可行解决方案。 作为替代方案，许多地区和城市已经启动了对超强工业废水的附加费计划。 Elementary Water Solutions Inc. (EWS)专门从事工业废水处理的美国加州大学伯克利分校成功地将食品和饮料废水中的生化需氧量（BOD）和总悬浮固体降低到市政法规限制以下。 然而，一些地区和城市正在实施污水排放法规，其中包括总氮低于100 mg/L。 EWS目前使用的废水处理系统不能降低总氮，而潜在客户的废水总氮浓度超过100 mg/L。 EWS要保持竞争力，扩大市场份额，开发高效的生物脱氮工艺是必不可少的。 该研究的目的是评估氢气生产与微生物电化学电池（MEC）使用工业废水作为电子供体。 我们将评估氢气产量与BOD去除率及其生产率。 然后，将优化用于最高氢气产率和速率的操作条件（施加的电压和水力停留时间）。 该项目的结果将使EWS能够继续开发一种可持续的氮控制工艺，该工艺将产氢MEC与自养反硝化工艺相结合。

Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) faces increasing pollutant loads as populations and industries have expanded in Canada. Construction of new WWTPs would not be a feasible solution to deal with increasing pollutant loadings due to either a lack of funding or available land area. As an alternative, many regions and municipalities have initiated surcharge programs for overstrength industrial wastewaters. Elementary Water Solutions Inc. (EWS) that specializes in industrial wastewater treatment have successfully reduced biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids in food and beverage wastewaters below municipal bylaw limits. However, some regions and municipalities are implementing a sewer discharge bylaw including total nitrogen below 100 mg/L. Current wastewater treatment systems that EWS has worked with cannot decrease total nitrogen, while wastewaters of potential clients have total nitrogen concentration more than 100 mg/L. For EWS to keep its competitiveness and expand its market share the development of an efficient biological nitrogen process is essential. The objective of the proposed research is to evaluate hydrogen gas production with microbial electrochemical cells (MECs) using industrial wastewaters as electron donor. We will evaluate hydrogen gas yield against BOD removal and its production rate. Then, operating conditions (applied voltage and hydraulic retention time) for the highest hydrogen yield and rate will be optimized. Results of this project will allow EWS to continue development of a sustainable nitrogen control process that combines the hydrogen-producing MEC with autotrophic denitrification process.