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Water Res

Title:		"Bio-electrochemical COD removal for energy-efficient, maximum and robust nitrogen recovery from urine through membrane aerated nitrification"
Author(s):		De Paepe J; De Paepe K; Godia F; Rabaey K; Vlaeminck SE; Clauwaert P;
Address:		"Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Biologica I Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193 Barcelona, Spain; Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium. Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Biologica I Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193 Barcelona, Spain. Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium. Electronic address: korneel.rabaey@ugent.be. Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium; Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium. Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium"
Journal Title:		Water Res
Year:		2020
Volume:		20200723
Issue:
Page Number:		116223 -
DOI:		10.1016/j.watres.2020.116223
ISSN/ISBN:		1879-2448 (Electronic) 0043-1354 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Resource recovery from source-separated urine can shorten nutrient cycles on Earth and is essential in regenerative life support systems for deep-space exploration. In this study, a robust two-stage, energy-efficient, gravity-independent urine treatment system was developed to transform fresh real human urine into a stable nutrient solution. In the first stage, up to 85% of the COD was removed in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), converting part of the energy in organic compounds (27-46%) into hydrogen gas and enabling full nitrogen recovery by preventing nitrogen losses through denitrification in the second stage. Besides COD removal, all urea was hydrolysed in the MEC, resulting in a stream rich in ammoniacal nitrogen and alkalinity, and low in COD. This stream was fed into a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) in order to convert the volatile and toxic ammoniacal nitrogen to non-volatile nitrate by nitrification. Bio-electrochemical pre-treatment allowed to recover all nitrogen as nitrate in the MABR at a bulk-phase dissolved oxygen level below 0.1 mg O(2) L(-1). In contrast, feeding the MABR directly with raw urine (omitting the first stage), at the same nitrogen loading rate, resulted in nitrogen loss (18%) due to denitrification. The MEC and MABR were characterised by very distinct and diverse microbial communities. While (strictly) anaerobic genera, such as Geobacter (electroactive bacteria), Thiopseudomonas, a Lentimicrobiaceae member, Alcaligenes and Proteiniphilum prevailed in the MEC, the MABR was dominated by aerobic genera, including Nitrosomonas (a known ammonium oxidiser), Moheibacter and Gordonia. The two-stage approach yielded a stable nitrate-rich, COD-low nutrient solution, suitable for plant and microalgae cultivation"
Keywords:		"Biofilms Bioreactors Denitrification Humans *Nitrification *Nitrogen Nitrosomonas Waste Disposal, Fluid Membrane biofilm reactor Nitrogen recovery Regenerative life support system Resource recovery Source separation Yellow water;"
Notes:		"MedlineDe Paepe, Jolien De Paepe, Kim Godia, Francesc Rabaey, Korneel Vlaeminck, Siegfried E Clauwaert, Peter eng England 2020/08/03 Water Res. 2020 Oct 15; 185:116223. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116223. Epub 2020 Jul 23"