Regular articleIntegration of microbial fuel cell and catalytic oxidation reactor with iron phthalocyanine catalyst for Congo red degradation

•A MFC and a COR reactor were integrated together.•H2O2 and O2 can both be used as oxidants.•Over 90% of Congo red was degraded within 72 h.•Stabilities of catalysts were evaluated after 100 days of operation.•Congo red was degraded into less toxic and more biodegradable organics.

An integrated system of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) and a catalytic oxidation reactor (COR) was developed. In the MFC-COR system, H2O2 generated at the MFC cathode and residual dissolved oxygen could both be used as oxidants for Congo red degradation in the presence of iron phthalocyanine-based catalyst. Over 90% of Congo red was degraded within 72 h in neutral solution. The open-circuit potential and maximum power density of the MFC reactor were measured as 0.615 V and 808.3 mW/m3, respectively. The iron phthalocyanine-based catalyst was still active enough even after 33 cycles of operation. LC-MS analysis showed that Congo red was decomposed into less toxic and more biodegradable organics including malonic acid and maleic acid. This MFC-COR system can be a promising alternative for simultaneously biodegradable and refractory pollutant removal.

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