WHAT TO CHANGE
Replace or supplement the anodic chamber material in your existing Microbial Electrochemical Treatment (MET) system with rice straw biochar pyrolyzed at 600°C.
Begin by adding 4% to 8% w/w of this specialized rice straw biochar to the anodic chamber. Avoid exceeding 12% w/w, as it was found to be counterproductive.
WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE
Beneficial Bacteria Proliferation: You can expect an increase in beneficial bacteria such as Desulfuromonas and Geobacter. These are key players in efficient electron transfer, enhancing both petroleum hydrocarbon degradation and electricity generation.
Enhanced Degradation and Electricity Production: At an optimal 8% w/w dosage of biochar, you might observe up to 87.8% petroleum hydrocarbon degradation and a current density of 3.5 A/m^2.
Diminished Returns at Higher Dosages: If you exceed the recommended biochar dosage, say, around 12% w/w, expect a decrease in both pollutant degradation and electrical current density.
In addition to these benefits, incorporating rice straw biochar may also synergize well with existing bioelectrochemical systems (BES), which already use microorganisms and carbonaceous materials to catalyze similar reactions. Teklit Gebregiorgis Ambaye, FrancescaFormicol, Silvia Sbaffoni, Chiara Milanese, Andrea Franzetti, Mentore Vaccaria Original Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343723015567