Domestic wastewater treatment was examined under two different temperature (23 ± 3 C and 30 ± 1 C)
and flow modes (fed-batch and continuous) using single-chamber air–cathode microbial fuel cells
(MFCs). Temperature was an important parameter for treatment efficiency and power generation. The
highest power density of 422 mW/m2 (12.8 W/m3
) was achieved under continuous flow and mesophilic
conditions, at an organic loading rate of 54 g COD/L-d, achieving 25.8% COD removal. Energy recovery
was found to depend significantly on the operational conditions (flow mode, temperature, organic loading rate, and HRT) as well as the reactor architecture. The results demonstrate that the main advantages
of using temperature-phased, in-series MFC configurations for domestic wastewater treatment are power
savings, low solids production, and higher treatment efficiency.