Simultaneous removal of sulfanilamide and bioelectricity generation in two-chambered microbial fuel cells

AbstractSulfanilamide antibiotics show the highest detection frequencies and concentrations in surface water of China. In this work, we aim to investigate the feasibility of sulfanilamide removal in the anode of two-chambered MFCs and to examine the influence of sulfanilamide on the electricity generation in MFCs. Results show that sulfanilamide can be efficiently removed in the anode of MFCs and exerts exciting positive effect on electricity generation at the studied concentration range (10–30 mg L−1). In comparison with MFCs using glucose as the sole substrate, the peak voltage output is increased by 8.5, 13.9, and 15.7% for addition of 10, 20, and 30 mg L−1sulfanilamide, respectively. The anode and the cathode polarization curves reveal that the lower anode overpotential with addition of sulfanilamide is responsible for the promoted electric power output of MFCs. Four groups of comparison experiments are conducted. In normal MFCs, sulfanilamide removal efficiency reaches 90% in 96 h, while the removal efficiencies are 58, 10.8, and 7.5% in open-circuit, no co-substrate and abiotic MFCs, respectively. The results of comparison experiments indicate that sulfanilamide removed in MFCs is mainly stemmed from the biocatalytic co-metabolism degradation other than physical adsorption and the current generated in MFCs plays an active role in accelerating the removal efficiency. These experimental results offer theoretical basis for the possibility of the MFCs application on the industrial wastewater treatment containing sulfanilamide and simultaneous electricity generation.