Methods of human waste treatment that exploit the nutrient and energy content of excreta are needed to incentivize sanitation as an economically viable industry in the developing world.  Presented here is a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded effort on integrating two technologies�low-cost anaerobic digestion (AD) and the microbial fuel cell (MFC)�as primary and secondary unit processes for high-strength wastewaters (e.g. pit latrine sludge, septage).  We aim to generate (1) a non-pathogenic, nutrient-rich effluent for agricultural use; (2) viable quantities of biogas (60-80% CH4) for use in cooking and heating; and (3) continuous power generation for small devices.  Gravity thickened solids�employed as proxy for pit sludge�were fed sequentially to 1-L, batch AD reactors and then to baffled, plug-flow MFCs.  Operating parameters, including AD retention time, temperatures, and oxygen exposure, were varied to quantify trade-offs in treatment capacity, energy production, and capital costs.  Biogas and electricity production, as well as environmental data on treatment efficiency will be presented

Hybrid anaerobic digester-microbial fuel cell for energy and nutrient capture from high-strength wastewater

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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