2026-06-02T01:24:12Zhttps://riubu.ubu.es/oai/request

oai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/117742026-06-02T00:05:43Zcom_10259_6168com_10259_5086com_10259_2604col_10259_6169

Optimizing Physical Factors for the Ammonium Removal from Wastewater Using Bio-Electrochemical Systems Sharma, Aparna Gurung, Anup Mehdi, Syed Ejaz Hussain Shahzad, Suleman Hussain, Fida Kang, Woochang Pandey, Sandesh Khan, Aqib Hassan Ali Oh, Sang-Eun Ammonium Diffusion Microbial fuel cells Microbial electrolysis cells Nitrogen removal Power generation Wastewater Waste streams, leachates, and wastewater often contain high-strength ammonia, which can be challenging to manage. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer a promising solution for treating such a nuisance of high-strength ammonia. However, optimizing MFC operating conditions, at lower technology readiness levels, is crucial to achieve a sustainable and economically viable application. This study investigates the factors affecting ammonia nitrogen removal in MFCs. MFCs with a cation exchange membrane (CEM) exhibit a higher diffusion rate of ammonium ions from the anode to the cathode compared to those with a proton exchange membrane (PEM). In close circuit mode (CCM), MFCs with a Pt-coated cathode electrode achieved an ammonium removal efficiency of 96% in the cathode chamber. Moreover, a plain carbon cathode electrode yielded an 87.1% removal efficiency. These results indicate that the combination of a catalyst (Pt) and oxygen in the cathode chamber can effectively remove or recover ammonia nitrogen from wastewater. Simultaneously, the removal of ammonia nitrogen in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) was studied. At an applied potential of 1.0 V, an ammonium removal efficiency of 87.5% was achieved. It was concluded that ammonium losses in MFCs can occur through electron migration, volatilization, and biological processes such as nitrification and denitrification 2026-06-01T11:56:25Z 2026-06-01T11:56:25Z 2025-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11774 10.3390/su17062543 2071-1050 eng Sustainability. 2025, V. 17, n.6, art. 2543 https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062543 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Atribución 4.0 Internacional Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute