Scaled-up dual anode/cathode microbial fuel cell stack for actual ethanolamine wastewater treatment

•The batch test showed that the MFC unit is an advanced system for ETA treatment and electricity generation.•The MFC power density decreased while the corresponding internal resistance increased in actual ETA-fed.•Stack MFCs in series connection showed a gradual increase in COD and ammonia removal.

The aim of this work was to develop the scale-up microbial fuel cell technology for actual ethanolamine wastewater treatment, dual anode/cathode MFC stacks connected in series to achieve any desired current, treatment capacity, and volume capacity. However, after feeding actual wastewater into the MFC, maximum power density decreased while the corresponding internal resistance increased. With continuous electricity production, a stack of eight MFCs in series achieved 96.05% of COD removal and 97.30% of ammonia removal at a flow rate of 15.98 L/d (HRT 12 h). The scaled-up dual anode/cathode MFC stack system in this research was demonstrated to treat actual ETA wastewater with the added benefit of harvesting electricity energy.