Enhancement of gaseous ethyl acetate removal in a new bio-trickling filter by integrating with microbial fuel cell

Two bio-trickling filters (BTFs) were set up for ethyl acetate removal: one of the filters contained a built-in proton exchange membrane (M-BTF), and the other contained the conventional structure (O-BTF). The comparative results showed that M-BTF had superior biodegradation capacity. Its start-up was relatively faster, and it produced more biomass and exhibited a higher removal efficiency, achieving a maximum removal efficiency difference of 9.9 % than O-BTF. Meanwhile, the maximum output voltage of 536 mV was obtained with the corresponding removal loading of 249.3 g•m −3 •h −1 . The intermediate product was detected to explore the possible degradation pathway of ethyl acetate, and results showed that the degradation of ethyl acetate was accompanied by the synthesis of long-chain hydrocarbons. The microbial analysis revealed that the anode electrode was highly selective to the bacterial strains, resulting in more electroactive bacteria containing Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Pseudoxanthomonas, and Geobacter constructing the microbial community in M-BTF. • A novel bioelectrochemical system was designed to enhance the pollutant removal. • The closed circuit produced more biomass and had a clear selectivity for the bacteria. • The anode accelerated mass transfer and improved the metabolic of microorganisms.