BULGUR INDUSTRY WASTEWATER TREATMENT BY MICROBIAL FUEL CELL – EXPLORATORY STUDY

Abstract

The bulgur industry has importance in the food sector in Turkey. The wastewater generated from this industry can be considered biowaste. The microbial fuel cells (MFC) are a relatively new technique aiming to treat the wastewater and producing direct energy. This study aims to explore the degradation efficiency of the organic matters expressed as chemical oxygen demand (COD) founded in bulgur industry wastewater by microbial fuel cell techniques. Furthermore, it aims to study the potential formation of electricity from this type of wastewater. In this study, the MFC – double chamber system was performed. 1.5 L bulgur industry wastewater containing 3% of biomass was used. The COD and the voltage were measured. The COD generated from the bulgur industry wastewater was 28800 mg/L. After using the MFC system, the COD was decreased to reach 2560 mg/L with a removal efficiency of 91%. 1st order kinetic model had the best fit for COD removal with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.95. The maximum and average voltages were 0.448 Volt and 0.180 Volt, respectively. The average voltage for every 1 m2 was 45 volt. As a result of the exploratory study, the MFC can be used to treat the bulgur industry wastewater and generating energy. But it should be combined with other treatment methods to meet the standards.