Electrical stress and acid orange 7 synergistically clear the blockage of electron flow in the methanogenesis of low-strength wastewater

Energy recovery from low-strength wastewater through anaerobic methanogenesis is constrained by limited substrate availability.The development of efficient methanogenic communities is critical but challenging.Here we develop a strategy to acclimate methanogenic communities using conductive carrier(CC),electrical stress(ES),and Acid Orange 7(AO7)in a modified biofilter.The synergistic integration of CC,ES,and AO7 precipitated a remarkable 72-fold surge in methane production rate compared to the baseline.This increase was attributed to an altered methanogenic community function,independent of the continuous presence of AO7 and ES.AO7 acted as an external electron acceptor,accelerating acetogenesis from fermentation intermediates,restructuring the bacterial community,and enriching electroactive bacteria(EAB).Meanwhile,CC and ES orchestrated the assembly of the archaeal community and promoted electrotrophic methanogens,enhancing acetotrophic methanogenesis electron flow via a mechanism distinct from direct electrochemical interactions.The collective application of CC,ES,and AO7 effectively mitigated electron flow impediments in low-strength wastewater methanogenesis,achieving an additional 34%electron recovery from the substrate.This study proposes a new method of amending anaerobic digestion systems with conductive materials to advance wastewater treatment,sustainability,and energy self-sufficiency.

Electrochemistry-stimulated environmental bioremediation:Development of applicable modular electrode and system scale-up

Bioelectrochemical systems(BESs)have been studied extensively during the past decades owing primarily to their versatility and potential in addressing the water-energy-resource nexus.In stark contrast to the significant advancements that have been made in developing innovative processes for pollution control and bioresource/bioenergy recovery,minimal progress has been achieved in demonstrating the feasibility of BESs in scaled-up applications.This lack of scaled-up demonstration could be ascribed to the absence of suitable electrode modules(EMs)engineered for large-scale application.In this study,we report a scalable composite-engineered EM(total volume of 1 m^(3)),fabricated using graphite-coated stainless steel and carbon felt,that allows integrating BESs into mainstream wastewater treatment technologies.The cost-effectiveness and easy scalability of this EM provides a viable and clear path to facilitate the transition between the success of the lab studies and applications of BESs to solve multiple pressing environmental issues at full-scale.