Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can degrade a wide variety of complex and simple organic materials while generating hydrogen in the process. Their ability to repurpose real industrial wastes into hydrogen has made them an attractive technology for industry and academic pursuits alike. However, few studies compare the performance associated with complex feedstocks using the same reactor, and even fewer studies have investigated MECs in this manner using wastes derived from biomass pyrolysis. This study applied two aqueous waste products from Tail Gas Recycle Pyrolysis (TGRP) to MECs with mature biofilms. The first waste was derived from willow and the second from guayule. After an adaptation period of no more than two weeks, MEC performance was stabilized for both substrates. Both substrates had markedly different composition and performance. Willow outperformed guayule operated MECs under nearly all operating conditions, reaching a maximum current density of 5.0 ± 0.7 A/m<sup>2</sup>, while guayule only achieved a maximum average current density of 1.8 ± 0.2 A/m<sup>2</sup>. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used and showed that many compounds, including phenolics and organic acids, were degraded in large percentages. HPLC also showed that the willow wastes had a larger fraction of easily degradable organic material commonly used in MECs, such as acetate, supporting the imcreased performance over guayule. Mass spectrometric analysis determined the presence of peptide residues that contained cyclohexanes in both substrates, suggesting that TGRP chemically produced these unnatural peptide residues.

Comparing hydrogen production and compound transformation using tail-gas recycle pyrolysis aqueous waste products in microbial electrolysis

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.