Domestic wastewater treatment in a tubular microbial electrolysis cell with a membrane electrode assembly

High hydrogen production rate and energy recovery were accomplished in a tubular microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) equipped with a robust membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The current and the hydrogen production of non-flexible MEAs, simply fabricated by directly brushing a catalyst on a self-supporting tubular membrane, were compared with those of a typical MEA, where a cathode is physically combined with a membrane. Current of 34 +/- 2 mA (1.79 +/- 0.05 A/m(2)) and coulombic efficiency of 98.5 +/- 1.0% were achieved in non-flexible MEAs, outperforming the typical MEA under fed-batch mode. The MEA, having a durable coating layer, also showed an enhanced hydrogen production rate and electric energy recovery with values of 0.18 +/- 0.03 m(3)/m(3)-d and 151.9 +/- 1.0%, respectively, even for low strength domestic wastewater (dWW) treatment in the continuous-flow mode. These outcomes were similarly maintained in the case of using seawater, which is a good candidate for an economical and environmentally suitable catholyte. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.