Bioelectrochemical treatment of contaminated water with oxidised nitrogen compounds

Description of the technology

The present invention relates a device, a biological cell, designed for the treatment of contaminated water, by reducing oxidised nitrogen compounds to nitrogen gas. Water contamination is a worldwide environmental challenge nowadays. Consumption of water containing high nitrate levels as drinking water can cause many diseases

Specifications

a) Providing a new biological cell, a bioelectrochemical system comprising an anode and a cathode compartments placed on opposite sides of a chamber; a working and a reference electrode located in the cathode compartment; a counter electrode located in the anode compartment; an ion exchange membrane located between the anode and cathode compartments; and a potentiostat which poises the cathode potential betwen -0.20-0.0 V vs Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE); and with bacteria able to reduce oxidised nitrogen compounds attached to the working electrode; b) feeding the cathode compartment with contaminated water with oxidised nitrogen compounds; thereby the nitrogen oxidised compounds are bacterial catalysed reduced to nitrogen gas in the bioelectrochemical system while the cathode potential is maintained in a range comprised of from -0.20 and 0.0 V vs SHE; followed by c) passing the effluent of the cathode to the anode compartment wherein a oxidation reaction of water to oxygen gas occurs; and d) discharging the treated water. In a second aspect of the present invention, it is provided a bioelectrochemical system for treating water containing oxidised nitrogen compounds from water, comprising an anode and a cathode compartments placed on opposite sides of a chamber; a working and a reference electrode located in the cathode compartment; a counter electrode located in the anode compartment; an ion exchange membrane located between the anode and cathode compartments; and a potentiostat which poises the cathode potential in a range comprised of from -0.20 and 0.0 V vs Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE); and with bacteria capable to reduce oxidised nitrogen compounds attached to the working electrode.

Main advantages of its use

• Lower energy consumption than the Environmental Protection Agency considered effective methods: reverse osmosis and reverse electrodialysis
• New method for the decrease of nitrate concentration in water
• No chemicals are added.
• Scalable: it can be set up according to the amount of water to be treated

Applications

• This technology is aimed primarily at wastewater and groundwater sectors. It can be applied into a biological cell, as a part of the wastewater or groundwater processes flow schemes. This cell can be easily set up in different locations such as wells in agricultural fields or livestuck farms.