Simultaneous nutrient-abundant hydroponic wastewater treatment, direct carbon capture, and bioenergy harvesting using microalgae–microbial fuel cells

Yolanda, YD; Kim, S; Sohn, W; Shon, HK; Yang, E; Lee, S

Simultaneous nutrient-abundant hydroponic wastewater treatment, direct carbon capture, and bioenergy harvesting using microalgae–microbial fuel cells

Yolanda, YD Kim, S Sohn, W Shon, HK Yang, E Lee, S

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Desalination and Water Treatment, 2025, 321
Issue Date:: 2025-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Yolanda, YD
dc.contributor.author	Kim, S
dc.contributor.author	Sohn, W
dc.contributor.author	Shon, HK
dc.contributor.author	Yang, E
dc.contributor.author	Lee, S
dc.date.accessioned	2025-08-04T00:55:41Z
dc.date.available	2025-08-04T00:55:41Z
dc.date.issued	2025-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Desalination and Water Treatment, 2025, 321
dc.identifier.issn	1944-3994
dc.identifier.issn	1944-3986
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189004
dc.description.abstract	Hydroponics has increasingly been recognized as an important agricultural method due to its stable crop yields under rapidly changing environmental conditions. However, the efficient treatment of nutrient-rich hydroponic wastewater remains a major challenge. This study investigates the effect of anodic pH on the performance of microalgae–microbial fuel cells (mMFCs), focusing on bioelectricity generation, photosynthetic oxygen supply, nutrient removal and recovery, and carbon capture. The mMFC system achieved a maximum power density of 122.5 mW/m², a chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 93.7 %, and an anode-side total nitrogen removal efficiency of 27.5 % at an acidic anodic pH. In addition, the cathode chamber had a total ammonium nitrogen removal efficiency of 22.6 %, which was ascribed to a combination of ammonium migration and subsequent nitrogen assimilation, and a phosphate removal efficiency of 100 %, likely due to microalgal uptake and adsorption. The mMFC also effectively captured CO<inf>2</inf> with an algal biomass yield of 0.01379 g·L<sup>−1</sup>·d<sup>−1</sup> and a CO₂ fixation rate of 0.02528 g·L<sup>−1</sup>·d<sup>−1</sup>. These findings provide insights into the optimization of mMFCs as a sustainable solution for managing nutrient-rich hydroponic wastewater, contributing to energy-efficient and resource-recovering wastewater treatment technologies.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IH210100001
dc.relation.ispartof	Desalination and Water Treatment
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100941
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0904 Chemical Engineering, 0905 Civil Engineering, 0907 Environmental Engineering
dc.subject.classification	4004 Chemical engineering
dc.subject.classification	4005 Civil engineering
dc.subject.classification	4011 Environmental engineering
dc.title	Simultaneous nutrient-abundant hydroponic wastewater treatment, direct carbon capture, and bioenergy harvesting using microalgae–microbial fuel cells
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	321
utslib.for	0904 Chemical Engineering
utslib.for	0905 Civil Engineering
utslib.for	0907 Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-08-04T00:55:38Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	321

Abstract:

Hydroponics has increasingly been recognized as an important agricultural method due to its stable crop yields under rapidly changing environmental conditions. However, the efficient treatment of nutrient-rich hydroponic wastewater remains a major challenge. This study investigates the effect of anodic pH on the performance of microalgae–microbial fuel cells (mMFCs), focusing on bioelectricity generation, photosynthetic oxygen supply, nutrient removal and recovery, and carbon capture. The mMFC system achieved a maximum power density of 122.5 mW/m², a chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 93.7 %, and an anode-side total nitrogen removal efficiency of 27.5 % at an acidic anodic pH. In addition, the cathode chamber had a total ammonium nitrogen removal efficiency of 22.6 %, which was ascribed to a combination of ammonium migration and subsequent nitrogen assimilation, and a phosphate removal efficiency of 100 %, likely due to microalgal uptake and adsorption. The mMFC also effectively captured CO2 with an algal biomass yield of 0.01379 g·L⁻¹·d⁻¹ and a CO₂ fixation rate of 0.02528 g·L⁻¹·d⁻¹. These findings provide insights into the optimization of mMFCs as a sustainable solution for managing nutrient-rich hydroponic wastewater, contributing to energy-efficient and resource-recovering wastewater treatment technologies.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189004