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Investigation of Modified Microbial Desalination Cell performance in Sweetening of Saltwater
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A Gholizadeh *    , AA Neshat , F Pakravan , M Miri , M Taghavi , A Nikoonahad |
| Esfarayen Faculty of Medical Sciences, Esfarayen, I.R.Iran , gholizadeh_eng@yahoo.com |
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Abstract: (4594 Views) |
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Regarding fresh water scarcity rake up controversies in many parts of the world, desalinating of water and wastewaters has now been taken into consideration. Microbial desalination cell (MDC) is a new technology which can desalinate water, generate electricity, and simultaneously purify wastewaters in a reactor. However, low current generation and deionization are from main challenges of this process. This study aimed to improve the MDCs efficacy.
METHODS: A modified three-cell MDC consisted of anode, cathode, and middle chambers, was designed in order to water desalination (20 g/L NaCl). Here, the cathode solution was diffused via ozone (O3-MDC) and the middle saline solution was pretreated into an ultrasonic bath. Subsequently, the results achieved in O3-MDC in terms of water desalination and current generation were compared against those of another reactor operated under oxygen diffusion (O2-MDC), and without ultrasonic pretreatment (control). Biofilm formation on anode surface and dominant bacteria in the O3-MDC reactor were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, respectively.
FINDINGS: Saltwater pre-treatment caused to increase the electrical conductivity from 28.1 ms/cm to 35.5 ms/cm; and then current generation from 191 to 131 mV after 24 hr operation. O2-MDC and O3-MDC were able to remove 74% and 55.58% of NaCl from water, respectively. Proteobacteria, firmicuites and acidobacteria were dominant microbial communities in the anode biofilm based on 16S rRNA sequencing.
CONCLUSION: Modified MDC can be a good option for water desalination if properly navigated. Although the process is still subject to some limitations, conducting such studies can provide basics of process operationalization and commercialization. |
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| Keywords: Microbial Desalination Cell, Microbial Fuel Cell, Bioelectric Energy Sources, Saltwater |
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Full-Text [PDF 474 kb]
(1941 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Experimental |
Subject:
Environmental Health
Received: 2018/04/16 | Accepted: 2018/11/5 | Published: 2018/12/30
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