Integrated wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation using constructed wetlands coupled with microbial fuel cells

Constructed wetlands combined with microbial fuel cells (CW-MFCs) are among the most promising installations for wastewater. In this study, four artificial wetlands were created to remove organic pollutants from wastewater and produce green and renewable electricity. The effects of different organic loadings, operation times, the presence of plant species, circuit operation modes and microbial loads were inspected, and responses in terms of polarization, cyclic voltammetry and degradation were studied. CW-MFCs consist of two chambers, i.e., anaerobic (anode) and aerobic (cathode). Cymbopogon nardus was selected as the plant species for the wetland. In this CW-MFC, the deduction of organic pollutants as well as the COD, and BOD was monitored along with electricity generation. Experiments were accomplished in batch mode using different concentrations of synthetic wastewater. With an up-flow continuous mode, the bacterial strains found in anaerobic sludge are crucial for the breakdown of the organic pollutants. To increase effectiveness, a CW-MFC with an average hydraulic retention time (HRT) and open circuit mode was selected. The power density of 11.79 Wm -2 and a maximum current density of 0.39 Am -2 were achieved during the treatment. Electricity generation was observed to be higher at longer HRT, likely due to increased substrate–microbe contact time enhancing electron recovery efficiency, even though absolute substrate removal rates per unit time may not scale linearly with HRT as predicted by reactor mass-balance considerations. The results indicated that CW-MFC1 (gravel configuration) has greater removal efficiency due to the best absorption capacity of the substrate. This system showed the degradation (94%), COD (93%), and BOD (90%) removal efficiency irrespective of increasing the pollutant concentration and CW-MFC has promising potential to treat wastewater and generate renewable energy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Desalination and Water Treatment
Published
2025-10-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2025.101566
Primary Topic
Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Integrated wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation using constructed wetlands coupled with microbial fuel cells

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Desalination and Water Treatment
Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation
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Integrated wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation using constructed wetlands coupled with microbial fuel cells

Farhat Jubeen, Arif Nazir, Munawar Iqbal, Mohsin Kazi, Wissem Mnif, Samiah H. Al-Mijalli, Asma Safdar, Muhammad Naeem Khan, Shabana Kosar, Dennis Douroumis
article en

Abstract

Constructed wetlands combined with microbial fuel cells (CW-MFCs) are among the most promising installations for wastewater. In this study, four artificial wetlands were created to remove organic pollutants from wastewater and produce green and renewable electricity. The effects of different organic loadings, operation times, the presence of plant species, circuit operation modes and microbial loads were inspected, and responses in terms of polarization, cyclic voltammetry and degradation were studied. CW-MFCs consist of two chambers, i.e., anaerobic (anode) and aerobic (cathode). Cymbopogon nardus was selected as the plant species for the wetland. In this CW-MFC, the deduction of organic pollutants as well as the COD, and BOD was monitored along with electricity generation. Experiments were accomplished in batch mode using different concentrations of synthetic wastewater. With an up-flow continuous mode, the bacterial strains found in anaerobic sludge are crucial for the breakdown of the organic pollutants. To increase effectiveness, a CW-MFC with an average hydraulic retention time (HRT) and open circuit mode was selected. The power density of 11.79 Wm -2 and a maximum current density of 0.39 Am -2 were achieved during the treatment. Electricity generation was observed to be higher at longer HRT, likely due to increased substrate–microbe contact time enhancing electron recovery efficiency, even though absolute substrate removal rates per unit time may not scale linearly with HRT as predicted by reactor mass-balance considerations. The results indicated that CW-MFC1 (gravel configuration) has greater removal efficiency due to the best absorption capacity of the substrate. This system showed the degradation (94%), COD (93%), and BOD (90%) removal efficiency irrespective of increasing the pollutant concentration and CW-MFC has promising potential to treat wastewater and generate renewable energy.

Desalination and Water TreatmentVol. 324
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (SA), University of Lahore (PK), University of the Punjab (PK), King Saud University (SA), University of Bisha (SA), Government College Women University Faisalabad (PK), Government College Women University Sialkot, University of Greenwich (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 67%
Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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