Application of microbial electrolysis cells to treat spent yeast from an alcoholic fermentation

作者：Sosa Hernandez Ornella; Popat Sudeep C; Parameswaran Prathap; Sidney Aleman Nava Gibran; Torres Cesar I; Buitron German; Parra Saldivar Roberto^*

来源：Bioresource Technology, 2016, 200: 342-349.

DOI：10.1016/j.biortech.2015.10.053

• Spent yeast
• Microbial electrolysis cell
• Coulombic efficiency
• COD removal
• Hydrogen

Spent yeast (SY), a major challenge for the brewing industry, was treated using a microbial electrolysis cell to recover energy. Concentrations of SY from bench alcoholic fermentation and ethanol were tested, ranging from 750 to 1500 mg COD/L and 0 to 2400 mg COD/L respectively. COD removal efficiency (RE), coulombic efficiency (CE), coulombic recovery (CR), hydrogen production and current density were evaluated. The best treatment condition was 750 mg COD/L SY + 1200 mg COD/L ethanol giving higher COD RE, CE, CR (90 +/- 1%, 90 +/- 2% and 81 +/- 1% respectively), as compared with 1500 mg COD/L SY (76 +/- 2%, 63 +/- 7% and 48 +/- 4% respectively); ethanol addition was significantly favorable (p value = 0.011), possibly due to electron availability and SY autolysis. 1500 mg COD/L SY + 1200 mg COD/L ethanol achieved higher current density (222.0 +/- 31.3 A/m(3)) and hydrogen production (2.18 +/- 0.66 L-H2/day/L-Reactor) but with lower efficiencies (87 +/- 2% COD RE, 71.0 +/-.4% CE). Future work should focus on electron sinks, acclimation and optimizing SY breakdown.

• 出版日期2016-1