In situ investigation of processing property in combination with integration of microbial fuel cell and tubular membrane bioreactor

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) presents a novel method for simultaneous energy recovery and wastewater treatment. In this study, a bio-cathode MFC with tubular membrane assembly was integrated to construct a MFC–TMBR system, which combined the advantages of each individual module. To examine the feasibility of MFC–TMBR integrated process, both electricity generation and wastewater treatment were investigated. Maximum voltage output of 0.8 V and maximum power density of 0.040 W/m2 were obtained in the 30th day of operation. The MFC–TMBR system achieved organic removal of 94%, as well as the ammonia nitrogen removal of more than 80%. Membrane fouling mitigation was realized using cross-flow filtration with tubular membrane in the MFC–TMBR, without any physical cleaning during the 30-day operation. Lower MLSS concentration and higher DO could potentially support this system. Low-cost materials were adopted for reactor construction. The results demonstrate that this system is an energy-efficient and cost-effective approach for wastewater treatment.