Journal of North Khorasan

Abstract Background and objective: Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio electrochemical system and a new method for wastewater treatment and electricity generation simultaneously. In this reactor chemical energy stored in organic materials convert to electricity through the metabolic activity of the microorganisms. Material & Methods: In a pilot study, two chambers MFC operated in continuous mode during 720 hours at 20±4⁰C. Organic loading rate and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were effective variables for operation of reactor. Results: Optimized HRT to achieve the maximum removal efficiency obtained 1.5 and 2.5 hours and reached to 49%. Results showed that Columbic efficiency affected by organic loading rate (OLR) and by increasing it, CE reduced from 71% to 8%. Conclusion: By considering, advantages such as production electricity directly and wastewater treatment simultaneously, it is recommended after further complementary studies and economical assessment, MFC could be used for wastewater treatment in industrial level.