Energy production and denitrogenation performance by sludge biochar based constructed wetlands-microbial fuel cells system: Overcoming carbon constraints in water

IF 12.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL Water Research Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2024-12-21 DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2024.123024

Boda Ouyang , Zhiyong Zhang , Fuzhi Chen , Fei Li , Ming-Lai Fu , Huachun Lan , Baoling Yuan

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Abstract

As freshwater demand grows globally, using reclaimed water in natural water bodies has become essential. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are widely used for advanced wastewater treatment due to their environmental benefits. However, low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios in wastewater limit nitrogen removal, often leading to eutrophication. This study explores the use of sewage sludge biochar (SB) and activated carbon (AC) as electrodes in microbial fuel cell-constructed wetlands (MFC-CW) to enhance nitrogen removal and energy generation. Results indicated that the sludge biochar closed-circuit CW (MSBS-CW) achieved considerable total nitrogen removal (95.85 %) and maximum power density (9.05 mW/m²). Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing and functional gene analysis revealed substantial shifts in the microbial community within MSBS-CW, particularly in the electroactive bacteria (Geobacter), autotrophic denitrifying bacterium (Hydrogenophaga, Thiobacillus) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria (Candidatus_Brocadia). Electrochemical and material characterization showed that SB enhanced the cathode's electrochemical performance and the anode's biocompatibility, thereby improving denitrification and energy generation. This study demonstrates that sludge biochar is an effective low-cost electrode material for MFC-CW systems, offering a sustainable solution for nitrogen removal and energy production under carbon-constrained conditions.

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基于污泥生物炭的人工湿地-微生物燃料电池系统的能源生产和脱氮性能：克服水中的碳限制

随着全球淡水需求的增长，在自然水体中使用再生水已变得至关重要。人工湿地因其环境效益被广泛应用于污水深度处理。然而，废水中的低碳/氮（C/N）比限制了氮的去除，往往导致富营养化。本研究探讨了在微生物燃料电池-人工湿地（MFC-CW）中使用污泥生物炭（SB）和活性炭（AC）作为电极来提高氮的去除和能量的产生。结果表明，污泥生物炭闭路连续流化床（MSBS-CW）的总氮去除率达到95.85%，功率密度达到9.05 mW/m²。此外，高通量测序和功能基因分析显示MSBS-CW内的微生物群落发生了重大变化，特别是电活性细菌（Geobacter），自养反硝化细菌（Hydrogenophaga, Thiobacillus）和厌氧氨氧化细菌（Candidatus_Brocadia）。电化学和材料表征表明，SB增强了阴极的电化学性能和阳极的生物相容性，从而改善了反硝化和发电。该研究表明，污泥生物炭是MFC-CW系统的一种有效的低成本电极材料，为碳约束条件下的脱氮和能源生产提供了可持续的解决方案。

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来源期刊

Water Research 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

20.80

自引率

9.40%

发文量

1307

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Water Research, along with its open access companion journal Water Research X, serves as a platform for publishing original research papers covering various aspects of the science and technology related to the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. The audience targeted by the journal comprises biologists, chemical engineers, chemists, civil engineers, environmental engineers, limnologists, and microbiologists. The scope of the journal include: •Treatment processes for water and wastewaters (municipal, agricultural, industrial, and on-site treatment), including resource recovery and residuals management; •Urban hydrology including sewer systems, stormwater management, and green infrastructure; •Drinking water treatment and distribution; •Potable and non-potable water reuse; •Sanitation, public health, and risk assessment; •Anaerobic digestion, solid and hazardous waste management, including source characterization and the effects and control of leachates and gaseous emissions; •Contaminants (chemical, microbial, anthropogenic particles such as nanoparticles or microplastics) and related water quality sensing, monitoring, fate, and assessment; •Anthropogenic impacts on inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, focusing on surface and ground waters, and point and non-point sources of pollution; •Environmental restoration, linked to surface water, groundwater and groundwater remediation; •Analysis of the interfaces between sediments and water, and between water and atmosphere, focusing specifically on anthropogenic impacts; •Mathematical modelling, systems analysis, machine learning, and beneficial use of big data related to the anthropogenic water cycle; •Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies.