Conventional biological wastewater treatment processes, such
as activated sludge, are energy demanding processes. Energy use
for wastewater aeration can account for up to 50% of operating
costs, with typical requirements of 500 Wh/m3
, or 1 kWh for
oxidation of 1 kg organic compounds removed during treatment Aerobic treatment processes also
produce large amounts of residual solids which are costly to treat
and disposeThe high energy requirements of these processes makes it important to investigate methods to reduce operational costs through process optimization or the use of more
energy efficient anaerobic processesA microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a new bio-electrochemical process
that produces electricity from the anaerobic oxidation of biodegradable organic substrates. Microbes in the anodic compartment
produce electrons and protons from the oxidation of organic matter, with CO2 and biomass as final products. There has been great
interest in using MFCs for wastewater treatment and power generation has been shown using a
variety of wastewaters including both domestic and industrial
wastewaters