Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are a novel, promising technology for the recovery of metals. The prerequisite for upscaling from laboratory to industrial size is that high current and high power densities can be produced. In this study we report the recovery of copper from a copper sulfate stream (2 g L(-1) Cu(2+)) using a laboratory scale BES at high rate. To achieve this, we used a novel c...

It was hypothesized that a lack of acetogenic biomass (biocatalyst) at the cathode of a microbial electrosynthesis system, due to electron and nutrient limitations, has prevented further improvement in acetate productivity and efficiency. In order to increase the biomass at the cathode and thereby performance, a bioelectrochemical system with this acetogenic community was operated under galvano...

A low cost cation exchange membrane to be used in a specific bioelectrochemical system has been developed using poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK). This material is presented as an alternative to current commercial ion exchange membranes that have been primarily designed for fuel cell applications. To increase the hydrophilicity and ion transport of the PEEK material, charged groups are introduced...

Background Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) enable recovery of electrical energy through oxidation of a wide range of substrates at an anode and simultaneous recovery of metals at a cathode. Scale-up of BESs from the laboratory to pilot scale is a challenging step in the development of the process, and there are only a few successful experiences to build on. This paper presents a prototype BES...

First LCA study for assessing the environmental performance of BESs metal recovery application.

The treatment of municipal wastewater is an energy-intensive process, with the delivery oxygen as electron acceptor accounting for a significant share total energy consumption. Microbial communities growing on polarized electrodes can facilitate processes by exchanging electrons electrodes. As new approach, we combined use microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to develop switchable dual-mode bioelectroch...

The interaction between photosynthetic microorganisms and an inert electrode material was examined. Cathodic polarization values of platinum-bearing marine algae were obtained over a wide current-density range under both illumination and dark conditions. A potential shift of 0.6 v in the cathodic direction occurred upon illumination at a current density of 4.3 mua/cm(2). Similar photo-induced r...

In this research, an enzyme modified electrode has been produced during the electropolymerization of aniline through incorporation of sulfite oxidase into a conducting polymer. Then the bioelectrochemical response of resulted sulfite biosensor was investigated at different experimental conditions. Study of  the stability of the resulted sulfite biosensor revealed that formation of a passive...