Removal of Phenol and Electricity Generation in Microbial Fuel Cell by Using Microbial Seeds from Wastewater of Oil Refinery

The aim of this study was to removal of phenol and producing electricity in a microbial fuel cell using the microbial seed of the refinery wastewater.A dual chamber microbial fuel cell having Nafion proton exchange membrane and carbon cloth as anode and cathode was fabricated and operated in batch mode in the incubator at 30°C for a period of 12 weeks. Experiments were conducted in open and closed circuit mode. Anode was put in anaerobic chamber containing minimum growth medium and phenol in the concentration range of 50-1000ppm. Microbial seed from wastewater treatment plant of Tehran Petroleum Refinery was mixed with growth medium and added to anode chamber. Cathode was put in aerobic chamber containing Phosphate buffer. Phenol was analyzed by HPLC and electricity was measured by digital multi meter equipped by data logger. COD was measured by standard method. In all examined phenol concentrations, the maximum time to completely degrade of phenol was 96h. Maximum amount of phenol degradation and electricity generation was occurred in the first 24h of each run. Phenol degradation rate in closed circuit was higher than open circuit mode. The maximum voltage and power generated were 425mV and 36.86mWm-2 respectively. The columbic efficiency of fabricated microbial fuel cell was 5.3 percent and maximum COD removal was 95 percent. By using mixed bacterial of wastewater of oil refinery in a microbial fuel cell, it is possible to remove phenol and generate electricity.