STUDY OF DIFFERENT FORMS OF MICROBIAL FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY (MFC) FOR GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY FROM DAIRY EFFLUENT USING A MICROBIAL CONSORTIUMLEENA P. PATHAK, V.B. GAIKWAD AND SUCHETA PATILAbstract Dairy industry is one of the prominent industries in India. It produces huge amount of effluent rich in organic matter with very high biochemical oxygen demand (B.O.D.) and chemical oxygen demand (C.O.D.). Conventional aerobic treatments are not affordable to small scale dairies. Hence, for bio-augmentation, a facultatively anaerobic microbial consortium was prepared using indigenous bacteria which were identified as Enterococcus casseliflavus and Enterococcus faecium and yeast identified as Kluyveromyces lactis mixed with exogenous bacteria E.coli and Bacillus amyloliquifaciens. After confirming bioaugmentation efficiency of the consortium it was used in microbial fuel cell (MFC) for generation of bio electricity. MFC was constructed using a salt bridge to connect cathode to anode and cathode was used un-aerated to make it cost effective. In the current study, different variations of anode and cathode chambers in basic two chambered model of MFC were studied for 10 consecutive days. Initially, use of sterile and non-sterile effluents in anode chamber of MFC were compared for 5 days. Using sterile effluent average voltage obtained was 116.3mV while using non-sterile effluent it was 90.68mV. When the cathode chamber was filled with sterile aerated distilled water and sterile phosphate buffer, pH7, the maximum voltage generated were 375mV and 370mV respectively. When cathode chamber was filled with sterile hydrogen peroxide, maximum voltage of 523mV was generated. Further use of immobilized anode with graphite granules and sterile hydrogen peroxide in cathode chamber resulted into steady voltage generation right from the beginning. The maximum voltage generated was 313mV. There was no initial drop in voltage as observed in other combinations of MFC. Significant reduction in B.O.D. of effluent in the range of 52% to 71% after 8- 10 days was obtained in various forms of MFC. |