Effect of air-exposed biocathode on the performance of a Thauera-dominated membraneless single-chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC)

To investigate the effect of air-exposed biocathode（AEB） on the performance of singlechamber microbial fuel cell（SCMFC）, wastewater quality, bioelectrochemical characteristics and the electrode biofilms were researched. It was demonstrated that exposing the biocathode to air was beneficial to nitrogen removal and current generation. In Test 1 of 95%AEB, removal rates of ammonia, total nitrogen（TN） and chemical oxygen demand（COD）reached 99.34% ± 0.11%, 99.34% ± 0.10% and 90.79% ± 0.12%, respectively. The nitrogen removal loading rates were 36.38 g N/m3/day. Meanwhile, current density and power density obtained at 0.7 A/m3 and 104 m W/m3 respectively. Further experiments on opencircuit（Test 2） and carbon source（Test 3） indicated that this high performance could be attributed to simultaneous biological nitrification/denitrification and aerobic denitrification, as well as bioelectrochemical denitrification. Results of community analysis demonstrated that both microbial community structures on the surface of the cathode and in the liquid of the chamber were different. The percentage of Thauera, identified as denitrifying bacteria, maintained at a high level of over 50% in water, but decreased gradually in the AEB. Moreover, the genus Nitrosomonas, Alishewanella, Arcobacter and Rheinheimera were significantly enriched in the AEB, which might contribute to both enhancement of nitrogen removal and electricity generation.

Design and integrated simulation of a pressurized feed system of the dual-thrust hybrid rocket motor

A new pressurized feed system of the dual-thrust hybrid rocket motor for flight is presented in this paper.The feed system supplies 90% hydrogen peroxide (90%H 2 O 2) with two different flows of 4.5 and 2 kg s 1.The oxidizer flow is changed through regulating the mass flow of the high-pressure gas and switching the performance modes of the unique oxidizer flow control valve simultaneously.The models of the gas storage container,pressure regulator valve,control orifice,propellant tank,oxidizer flow control valve and cavitating venturi are generated and used to compute the instantaneous pressure,temperature and mass flow rate.There is a good agreement between the simulated and experimental results.Parameter sensitivity analysis is also conducted.It is found that the throat diameter of the cavitating venturi in feed line 1 is the main factor affecting the mass flow in both boost and sustaining phase.Other parameters have limited effects on the mass flow rate and the transition time of the system.