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Enhanced boron removal by electricity generation in a microbial fuel cell.

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Title: Enhanced boron removal by electricity generation in a microbial fuel cell.
Authors: Ping, Qingyun1, Abu-Reesh, Ibrahim M.2, He, Zhen1 zhenhe@vt.edu
Source: Desalination. Nov2016, Vol. 398, p165-170. 6p.
Subjects: Microbial fuel cells, Electric power production, Saline water conversion, Irrigation, Effect of boron on plants, Cathodes
Abstract: Boron needs to be removed during desalination, because excessive boron in the product water for irrigation can deteriorate plant growth. In this study, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) equipped with anion exchange membrane (AEM) was proposed and investigated to remove boron via two successive steps: boric acid is ionized to borate ions in the presence of high pH as a result of cathode reaction, and borate ions are transported across AEM driven by electricity generation. Two scenarios were examined, the MFC as a pretreatment process and the MFC as a post-treatment step in connection with conventional desalination. In the pretreatment mode, the MFC achieved 40–50% boron removal and the high pH condition could benefit downstream desalination or other methods for further boron removal. In the post-treatment mode, the MFC removed 80–90% of boron and decreased the boron concentration from 20 to 2 mg L − 1 or from 5 to 1 mg L − 1 , which meets the irrigation water requirement. The removal rate in this MFC was much higher than that of a previously reported microbial desalination cell coupled with Donnan Dialysis system. Those results have demonstrated the potential of using MFCs for boron removal with benefits of conductivity reduction and electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
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Abstract:Boron needs to be removed during desalination, because excessive boron in the product water for irrigation can deteriorate plant growth. In this study, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) equipped with anion exchange membrane (AEM) was proposed and investigated to remove boron via two successive steps: boric acid is ionized to borate ions in the presence of high pH as a result of cathode reaction, and borate ions are transported across AEM driven by electricity generation. Two scenarios were examined, the MFC as a pretreatment process and the MFC as a post-treatment step in connection with conventional desalination. In the pretreatment mode, the MFC achieved 40–50% boron removal and the high pH condition could benefit downstream desalination or other methods for further boron removal. In the post-treatment mode, the MFC removed 80–90% of boron and decreased the boron concentration from 20 to 2 mg L − 1 or from 5 to 1 mg L − 1 , which meets the irrigation water requirement. The removal rate in this MFC was much higher than that of a previously reported microbial desalination cell coupled with Donnan Dialysis system. Those results have demonstrated the potential of using MFCs for boron removal with benefits of conductivity reduction and electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:00119164
DOI:10.1016/j.desal.2016.07.031