Hydrogen Production from Makgeolli Wastewater Using a Single‐Chamber Microbial Electrolysis Cell

• Published in: Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol. 41; no. 2; pp. 150 - 155
• Main Authors: Kim, Jun Hyun, Kim, Changhoon, Jeon, Yongwon, Kim, Sunghyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA 01.02.2020; 대한화학회
• Subjects: Hydrogen production; Makgeolli wastewater; Microbial electrolysis cell; 화학
• ISSN: 1229-5949; 0253-2964; 1229-5949
• DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.11939

Domestic and industrial wastewaters are subject to the biological treatment process before discharged to environment. In that process, organic substances contained in the wastewater are degraded by microorganisms. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are suitable technology for wastewater treatment, simultaneously producing hydrogen. In most case, however, a significant amount of methane instead of hydrogen is produced when the wastewater is used for MECs. Here we show that hydrogen is the main product when Makgeolli wastewater (MW) is used as a substrate in a single‐chamber MEC which was operated using acetate and MW. Although current generation profiles vary according to the substrate type and the applied voltage, hydrogen portions were maintained over 90% at −0.6 V and −0.8 V with production rates of 0.95 and 1.55 m3H2/m3/d, respectively. This result shows a possibility of implementing MECs in the real wastewater treatment and hydrogen production. Hydrogen is the main product when Makgeolli wastewater is used as a substrate in single‐chamber MECs.