Wastewater sludge in bioelectricity generation using microbial fuel cells

Download

index.pdf

Date

2019

Author

Ömeroğlu, Seçil

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

278
views

60
downloads

Today, the majority of world’s energy is provided by fossil fuels which soon will be exploited. This pressure forces countries to investigate renewable energy technologies like microbial fuel cells (MFCs). MFCs can convert chemical energy in organic matter into electricity via microbial activity. The objective of this study was to investigate the operational parameters and interactions within the MFCs to overcome the challenges that limit their full scale applications. This study started with optimization experiments by testing the type of materials. However, the power density (PD) values (~5.5 mW/m2) showed that performance depends on microbial degradation and electron transfer. Then, the system was redesigned considering electron losses, membrane fouling and internal resistance (IR). The maximum PD was calculated as 464 mW/m2. Following optimization experiments, the system was fed with different sludges (municipal, poultry, beverage, petrochemical and textile) to test the suitability of MFCs. The PD decreased to 205.93 mW/m2 with municipal sludge, since the sludge contains numerous ions, increasing IR. Applying 10 and 20 min sonication increased PD to 225.23 mW/m2 and 281.54 mW/m2, respectively. PD dropped to 45.88 mW/m2 when poultry sludge was fed. Beverage sludge, on the other, increased the PD to 360.91 mW/m2, while PD was calculated as 21.17 mW/m2 and 31.44 mW/m2 for petrochemical and textile sludge, respectively. One final objective was to operate a laboratory scale anaerobic digester to compare the performance of two competing bioenergy technologies. MFCs did not require additional heating even if the output was comparably small with more rapid organic conversion.

Subject Keywords

Fuel cells., Biomass energy., Sewage sludge digestion., Sewage

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12623094/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/28019

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

Bioelectricity Generation From Wastewater Sludge Using Microbial Fuel Cells: A Critical Review Ömeroğlu, Seçil; Sanin, Faika Dilek (Wiley, 2016-09-01) Today, the majority of the world's energy is provided by fossil fuels. Natural energy resources soon will be consumed as a result of rising energy needs of the growing population, leading to a global energy crisis. The insecurity in the energy market also affects the global economy negatively and forces the governments to investigate renewable energy alternatives such as bioenergy. Bioenergy technologies can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly and can serve to satisfy many forms of energy de...
Organic/metal-organic photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC): Recent developments, new trends, and future perceptions Yahya, Mohamed; Bouzıanı, Asmae; OCAK, CEMİL; SEFEROĞLU, ZEYNEL; Sillanpää, Mika (2021-08-01) Humankind is currently heavily reliant on fossil fuel for its energy supply. However, fossil fuels are a nonrenewable source. It requires hundreds of millions of years for fossil fuels to develop inside the earth, and with our daily rate of consumption, we will run out of fuel unless we find an alternative source. Solar energy has gained much attention as a solution for the current energy deficit since it converts light energy directly to electrical energy. Dye-sensitized solar cells deliver a cheaper and d...
Green energy for the battlefield Aslan, Murat; Isik, Halil (2017-01-01) Population of the world is growing with increasing rate and it seems that existing fossil fuel energy sources will not be able to meet energy demand in the near future. Energy is not only crucial for civil sector but also it is one of the most important assets in defense sector. Energy for military operations is mostly provided from fossil fuel as it is the case in other sectors; however, fossil fuels have hazardous effects to the environment and cause global environment concerns. These drawbacks of fossil ...
Smart Solar Micro-grid Using ZigBee and Related Security Challenges Qadir, Zakria; Tafadzwa, Vincent; Rashid, Haroon; Batunlu, Canras (2018-11-02) Renewable energy is needed to preserve a sustainable environment. One particular form of renewable energy (solar energy) is one of the most important and cost-effective solutions to the energy crisis. In this study, efficient solar energy management using ZigBee technology shall he discussed. The system informs the user when solar panels produce excess power before supplying it to the surrounding users, thus making the supplier a prosumer instead of a consumer. GSM which is used to monitor energy usage over...
GIS-based site selection methodology for hybrid renewable energy systems: A case study from western Turkey Aydin, Nazli Yonca; Kentel Erdoğan, Elçin; Duzgun, H. Sebnem (Elsevier BV, 2013-06-01) Renewable energy sources are presently being considered as alternatives to fossil fuels, because they are perpetual, environmentally friendly, and release negligible amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere while producing energy. A disadvantage of renewable energy systems, however, is that continuous energy generation is not possible by using only one type of renewable energy system, since renewable energy resources depend on climate and weather conditions. Two or more renewable energy systems can be ...

Citation Formats

S. Ömeroğlu, “Wastewater sludge in bioelectricity generation using microbial fuel cells,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2019.