Effects of ammonium concentration and charge exchange on ammonium recovery from high strength wastewater using a microbial fuel cell

Ammonium recovery using a two chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) was investigated at high ammonium concentration. Increasing the ammonium concentration (from 0.07 to 4 g ammonium–nitrogen/L) by addition of ammonium chloride did not affect the performance of the MFC. The obtained current densities by DC-voltammetry were higher than 6 A/m2 for both operated MFCs. Also continuous operation at lower external resistance (250 Ω) showed an increased current density (0.9 A/m2). Effective ammonium recovery can be achieved by migrational ion flux through the cation exchange membrane to the cathode chamber, driven by the electron production from degradation of organic substrate. The charge transport was proportional to the concentration of ions. Nonetheless, a concentration gradient will influence the charge transport. Furthermore, a charge exchange process can influence the charge transport and therefore the recovery of specific ions.