The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells
Water scarcity affects approximately 2.8 billion people globally. Conventional desalination methods like reverse osmosis are energy-intensive and produce concentrated brine, necessitating sustainable alternatives. Microbial Desalination Cells (MDCs) are a promising technology integrating desalinatio...
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Desalination and Water Treatment |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625002516 |
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| author | Clement Nyadroh Tajalli Keshavarz Godfrey Kyazze |
| author_facet | Clement Nyadroh Tajalli Keshavarz Godfrey Kyazze |
| author_sort | Clement Nyadroh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water scarcity affects approximately 2.8 billion people globally. Conventional desalination methods like reverse osmosis are energy-intensive and produce concentrated brine, necessitating sustainable alternatives. Microbial Desalination Cells (MDCs) are a promising technology integrating desalination with wastewater treatment and bioenergy generation, but their efficiency is limited by poor anode performance and membrane biofouling. This study investigated the effect of novel 3D-printed bioelectrodes with immobilised Shewanella oneidensis in sodium alginate-graphene nanoplatelets (SAGNP), sodium alginate (SA), and gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) bio-inks. The 3D-printed bioelectrodes were tested in MDCs operated in fed-batch mode for 33 days. Results showed that MDCs with the 3D-printed bioelectrodes outperformed conventional MDCs (p < 0.05). SAGNP MDC achieved the highest desalination rate of 0.84 mS/h for brackish water (10 g/L, EC 37.5 mS/cm), compared to the SA MDC (0.74 mS/h) and the GelMA MDC (0.56 mS/h). For artificial seawater (38.2 g/L, EC 53.4 mS/cm), SAGNP exhibited 0.63 mS/h. SAGNP MDC recorded a maximum power density of 22 mW/m2, a 1.1- and 1.85- fold increase over the SA and GelMA MDCs, respectively, alongside 84.4 % COD removal (0.34 g/m3/day). This work demonstrates the potential of 3D-printed bioelectrodes to optimise MDC efficiency, advancing their technical feasibility as a sustainable and energy-efficient solution for water desalination. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-15bd3b42e0ce4303ac9324f2e6b2daf7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1944-3986 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Desalination and Water Treatment |
| spelling | doaj-art-15bd3b42e0ce4303ac9324f2e6b2daf72025-08-20T03:07:51ZengElsevierDesalination and Water Treatment1944-39862025-04-0132210123510.1016/j.dwt.2025.101235The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cellsClement Nyadroh0Tajalli Keshavarz1Godfrey Kyazze2Corresponding author.; Sustainable Biotechnology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW, United KingdomSustainable Biotechnology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW, United KingdomSustainable Biotechnology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW, United KingdomWater scarcity affects approximately 2.8 billion people globally. Conventional desalination methods like reverse osmosis are energy-intensive and produce concentrated brine, necessitating sustainable alternatives. Microbial Desalination Cells (MDCs) are a promising technology integrating desalination with wastewater treatment and bioenergy generation, but their efficiency is limited by poor anode performance and membrane biofouling. This study investigated the effect of novel 3D-printed bioelectrodes with immobilised Shewanella oneidensis in sodium alginate-graphene nanoplatelets (SAGNP), sodium alginate (SA), and gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) bio-inks. The 3D-printed bioelectrodes were tested in MDCs operated in fed-batch mode for 33 days. Results showed that MDCs with the 3D-printed bioelectrodes outperformed conventional MDCs (p < 0.05). SAGNP MDC achieved the highest desalination rate of 0.84 mS/h for brackish water (10 g/L, EC 37.5 mS/cm), compared to the SA MDC (0.74 mS/h) and the GelMA MDC (0.56 mS/h). For artificial seawater (38.2 g/L, EC 53.4 mS/cm), SAGNP exhibited 0.63 mS/h. SAGNP MDC recorded a maximum power density of 22 mW/m2, a 1.1- and 1.85- fold increase over the SA and GelMA MDCs, respectively, alongside 84.4 % COD removal (0.34 g/m3/day). This work demonstrates the potential of 3D-printed bioelectrodes to optimise MDC efficiency, advancing their technical feasibility as a sustainable and energy-efficient solution for water desalination.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625002516Bioelectrochemical systemElectroactive bacteriaImmobilisationMembrane biofoulingMicrobial desalination cellMicrobial fuel cell |
| spellingShingle | Clement Nyadroh Tajalli Keshavarz Godfrey Kyazze The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells Desalination and Water Treatment Bioelectrochemical system Electroactive bacteria Immobilisation Membrane biofouling Microbial desalination cell Microbial fuel cell |
| title | The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells |
| title_full | The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells |
| title_fullStr | The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells |
| title_short | The effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3D-printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells |
| title_sort | effect of immobilisation of electroactive bacteria as 3d printed bioelectrodes on water desalination in microbial desalination cells |
| topic | Bioelectrochemical system Electroactive bacteria Immobilisation Membrane biofouling Microbial desalination cell Microbial fuel cell |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625002516 |
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