Development of microbial electrochemical cells for hydrogen production and autotrophic denitrification

随着加拿大人口和工业的扩张，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，兴建新的污水处理厂并非处理不断增加的污染物负荷的可行方案。作为替代方案，许多地区和城市已经启动了对强度过大的工业废水征收附加费的方案。Elementary Water Solutions Inc. （EWS）专门从事工业废水处理，已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下水道排放细则，其中包括总氮低于100毫克/升。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。开发高效的生物制氮工艺是EWS保持竞争力和扩大市场份额的必要条件。本研究的目的是评价以工业废水为电子供体的微生物电化学电池（MECs）产氢效果。我们将评估氢气产率与BOD去除率及其产率。然后，优化操作条件（施加电压和水力保持时间），以获得最高的氢气收率和速率。该项目的结果将使EWS继续开发可持续的氮控制过程，该过程将产氢MEC与自养反硝化过程相结合。

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.