Development of resource recovery wastewater treatment using microbial electrochemical cells

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Rising concerns about energy security and sustainability have spurred global efforts to develop high-performance, energy-efficient wastewater treatment solutions. Microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) are an emerging anaerobic wastewater treatment biotechnology that may offer an economically powerful option for truly sustainable wastewater treatment, particularly for organic wastewater. These technologies can produce useful, value-added chemicals and recover nutrients from effluent without compromising energy efficiency. Despite the above benefits, METs have yet to be successfully deployed in wastewater treatment systems. Main challenges include (1) low current density and a superficial understanding of electron transfer kinetics, which directly undermine MET’s ability to treat wastewater and produce value-added products; (2) over-simplistic, single-cell configuration, which is inappropriate for scale-up; (3) limited organic and nutrient control, which causes poor effluent quality and limits practical implementation for wastewater treatment. The proposed research will address these critical bottlenecks to help advance an energy-neutral or -positive wastewater treatment strategy. The overarching goal of the proposed research program is to advance development of sustainable wastewater treatment technologies using METs. The applicant will pursue three key objectives to advance this goal: (1) build a comprehensive electron transfer model that spans from substrate to the anode, and includes extracellular electron transfer, (2) develop pre-treatment fermentation techniques that can transform complex wastewater organics into acetate to improve current density in subsequent MET-based processing, and (3) develop an integrated bioprocess (advanced fermenter + MET) to enhance effluent quality and nutrient recovery, which will create a highly effective and economical solution for sustainable water treatment. The proposed resource recovery wastewater treatment technology has strong potential to bring significant economic and environmental benefits to Canada, through substantial reductions in municipal operating costs, waive of surcharge fees for industry, and reuse of recovered nutrients. It is expected deep understanding of EET and innovative engineering of pre-treatment fermentation and combined bioprocesses achieved through this research will place Canada at the forefront of research in key areas of METs and resource-recovering wastewater treatment biotechnologies, which will also inspire and train the next generation of HQP who will contribute to innovation in sustainable wastewater management.