Microbial Bioelectrochemical Reactor for Wastewater Treatment Applications

A microbial BioElectrochemical Reactor (BER) was employed for the degradation of an azo dye. Electrodes inside the BER were made of stainless steel mesh and were packed with activated carbon. Dye degradation and aromatic reduction products (e.g. aromatic amines) were analyzed. Dye removal was from 99 to 90% upon changing the residence time from 4 to 1 h in single pass mode; degradation of aromatic compounds was higher with increasing time. Electrical stimulation of the bioreactions decreases the reactor residence time at higher removal rates in comparison to a simple biotic system.