Resource recovery from wastewater with bioelectrochemical systems

Transcription

1 Resource recovery from wastewater with bioelectrochemical systems NERC Resource Recovery from Wastewater London, 24 July 2014

2 Resource recovery from wastewater with bioelectrochemical systems NERC RRfW programme Fundamental NERC science foundation Project partners RRfW with BES Rationale Objectives Preliminary data from Catalyst phase Role of industrial collaborators Potential synergy with other RRfW projects

3 World bank world development report 1994 Art Umble, Americas Wastewater Practice Leader, MWH Global NERC RRfW + Environmental benefit

4 Fundamental NERC science foundation Microbial reduction of solid phase electron acceptors in anoxic environments is a fundamental component of the global carbon cycle Metal oxide reduction can account for 30-90% of organic carbon turnover in marine sediments and may be highly significant for organic carbon mineralization in low sulfate environments (Canfield et al., Marine Geology, 113, 27 40)

5 Fundamental NERC science foundation Some of the most exciting recent discoveries in microbial ecology have microbial electrochemistry at their core

6 Fundamental NERC science foundation The mechanisms that have evolved to allow bacteria to transfer electrons to solid phase electron acceptors are exploited in microbial bioelectrochemical systems with electrodes as e - acceptors/donors Weber, K.A. et al. (2006). Nature Reviews Microbiology 4,

7 Project Partners

8 Resource recovery from wastewater with bioelectrochemical systems Rationale On a global basis, annually we produce around 250 billion m 3 municipal watsewater This is estimated to contain ca TWh of energy Wastewater-driven microbial bioelectrochemical systems

9 Paris metropolitan area; population 11.6 million Energy use; 88 TWh/year COD in wastewater; 250,000 to 500,000 tonnes/year ca. 1-2 TWh/year

10 Resource recovery from wastewater with bioelectrochemical systems Rationale On a global basis, annually we produce around 250 billion m 3 municipal watsewater This is estimated to contain ca TWh of energy Wastewater-driven microbial bioelectrochemical system Reducing power harvested from wastewater to drive cathodic reactions Selective metal reduction/recovery Organic compound synthesis Integration with other process Life cycle assessment of resource recovery vs electricity recovery and competing resource recovery processes Modelling Scale-up

11 Resource recovery from wastewater with bioelectrochemical systems Objectives Development of electrochemical methods for metal reduction at the cathode of a BES (Newcastle, Manchester bionanomineral catalysts) Development of microbial electrosynthesis and electrochemical processes for synthesis of value added organic chemicals at the cathode of a BES (Newcastle in collaboration with Gent and Glasgow) Development of approaches to scale up of BES for cathodic resource recovery (U South Wales, Surrey) Assessment of environmental and socio-economic cost/benefit using life cycle approaches and use of this to inform design decisions (Surrey, U South Wales) Exploration of novel hybrid systems to improve process performance and improve LCA of the process (Newcastle, Penn State, Harbin)

12 Preliminary data from Catalyst phase Metal recovery Demonstrated for Cu in half cell and with acetate fed MFC with graphite cathodes (Cathode potential -0.2V SHE) Ni Cu In 3 MFC runs percentage Cu removal of; 99.5 ± 0.02 %, 90.5 ± 0.78, 46.1 ± 0.77

13 Preliminary data from Catalyst phase Organic synthesis Start with chemical catalysis poly-co-tetraaminophthalocyanine Catlyzes the reduction of CO 2 to formate

14 Preliminary data from Catalyst phase Organic synthesis Ultimate aim, synthesis of more complex organics with biocathodes

15 Preliminary data from Catalyst phase Preliminary LCA

16 Role of industrial collaborators Northumbrian Water: wastewater treatment and real plant environment for pilot study TATA Steel: metal recovery from wastewater and CO 2 minimization WH partnership: biochemical engineering Chemviron carbon: carbon materials for bioprocess system Magneto Specialist Anodes Netherland: Electrochemical electrode and cell technology

17 Potential synergy with other RRfW projects Beyond Biorecovery: environmental win-win by biorefining of metallic wastes into new functional materials (B3). Professor LE Macaskie, University of Birmingham Resource recovery and remediation of alkaline wastes. Dr WM Mayes, University of Hull In situ recovery of resources from waste repositories. Dr DJ Sapsford, Cardiff University

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