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New Perspective on Groundwater Contamination Treatment: Bioelectrochemical Systems
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New Perspective on Groundwater Contamination Treatment: Bioelectrochemical Systems

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 17199

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Andrea G. Capodaglio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fellow IWA, BCEE, University of Pavia, Italy
Interests: sustainable development, energy and materials recovery, innovative water and wastewater treatment, groundwater contamination, bioelectrochemical systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Federico Aulenta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Water Research Institute (IRSA), National Research Council (CNR), Strada Provinciale 35d, km 0,7, 00010 Montelibretti (RM), Italy
Interests: environmental biotechnology; bioremediation; microbial electrochemical technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biolelectrochemical systems are emerging as a new technology with yet unexplored possibilities in the field of soil and groundwater remediation. New technologies for the treatment of industrially contaminated groundwater and soil remediation based on bioelectrochemical systems (BES) or microbial electrochemical technologies (MET) are being proposed, in which “electro-active” bacteria (EAB) catalyse oxidation or reduction reactions using solid-state electrodes, suitably deployed in the contaminated matrix, as virtually inexhaustible electron acceptors or donors, respectively. The development and optimization on a lab scale of such systems focusing on specific industrial contaminants, such as chlorinated hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons, but also including nitrates and heavy metals, have been described in recent literature. The main goals to be achieved include the minimization of energy and chemicals consumption, compared to traditional remediation techniques (biological remediation and physicochemical remediation) and successful and efficient scaling up of such systems startying from laboratory-scals setups from technical, environmental, and economic points of view. Furthermore, the capability of EAB to couple contaminants’ oxidation/reduction to electric current generation holds promise for the development of novel bioelectrochemical sensors for environmental applications, including the real-time monitoring of bioremediation processes.

Contributions are invited for manuscripts describing new innovation models, frameworks, and findings that address new developments and processes in this area, as well as new successful and/or environmentally sustainable applications and concepts, including challenges such as:

- The development of technology with demonstrated feasibility for scaling up

- The development of technology/lab studies concerning a variety of contaminants and groundwater composition

- The development of technology with potential or demonstrated benefits over standard remediation technologies, including energy efficiency, remediation time efficiency, and easy operation

- The development of innovative, whole-cell biosensors for environmental applications, exploiting the extracellular electron transfer capabilities of electroactive bacteria

Prof. Dr. Andrea G. Capodaglio
Dr. Federico Aulenta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioremediation
  • bioelectrochemical systems
  • biosensors
  • groundwater
  • soil remediation
  • energy
  • remediation technologies

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1264 KiB  
Article
Structure and Functions of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Microbial Communities in Bioelectrochemical Systems
by Anna Espinoza-Tofalos, Matteo Daghio, Enza Palma, Federico Aulenta and Andrea Franzetti
Water 2020, 12(2), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020343 - 25 Jan 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2933
Abstract
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) exploit the interaction between microbes and electrodes. A field of application thereof is bioelectrochemical remediation, an effective strategy in environments where the absence of suitable electron acceptors limits classic bioremediation approaches. Understanding the microbial community structure and genetic potential of [...] Read more.
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) exploit the interaction between microbes and electrodes. A field of application thereof is bioelectrochemical remediation, an effective strategy in environments where the absence of suitable electron acceptors limits classic bioremediation approaches. Understanding the microbial community structure and genetic potential of anode biofilms is of great interest to interpret the mechanisms occurring in BESs. In this study, by using a whole metagenome sequencing approach, taxonomic and functional diversity patterns in the inoculum and on the anodes of three continuous-flow BES for the removal of phenol, toluene, and BTEX were obtained. The genus Geobacter was highly enriched on the anodes and two reconstructed genomes were taxonomically related to the Geobacteraceae family. To functionally characterize the microbial community, the genes coding for the anaerobic degradation of toluene, ethylbenzene, and phenol were selected as genetic markers for the anaerobic degradation of the pollutants. The genes related with direct extracellular electron transfer (EET) were also analyzed. The inoculum carried the genetic baggage for the degradation of aromatics but lacked the capacity of EET while anodic bacterial communities were able to pursue both processes. The metagenomic approach provided useful insights into the ecology and complex functions within hydrocarbon-degrading electrogenic biofilms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspective on Groundwater Contamination Treatment: Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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16 pages, 1932 KiB  
Article
Reductive/Oxidative Sequential Bioelectrochemical Process for Perchloroethylene Removal
by Marco Zeppilli, Edoardo Dell’Armi, Lorenzo Cristiani, Marco Petrangeli Papini and Mauro Majone
Water 2019, 11(12), 2579; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11122579 - 06 Dec 2019
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 2951
Abstract
An innovative bioelectrochemical reductive/oxidative sequential process was developed and tested on a laboratory scale to obtain the complete mineralization of perchloroethylene (PCE) in a synthetic medium. The sequential bioelectrochemical process consisted of two separate tubular bioelectrochemical reactors that adopted a novel reactor configuration, [...] Read more.
An innovative bioelectrochemical reductive/oxidative sequential process was developed and tested on a laboratory scale to obtain the complete mineralization of perchloroethylene (PCE) in a synthetic medium. The sequential bioelectrochemical process consisted of two separate tubular bioelectrochemical reactors that adopted a novel reactor configuration, avoiding the use of an ion exchange membrane to separate the anodic and cathodic chamber and reducing the cost of the reactor. In the reductive reactor, a dechlorinating mixed inoculum received reducing power to perform the reductive dechlorination of perchloroethylene (PCE) through a cathode chamber, while the less chlorinated daughter products were removed in the oxidative reactor, which supported an aerobic dechlorinating culture through in situ electrochemical oxygen evolution. Preliminary fluid dynamics and electrochemical tests were performed to characterize both the reductive and oxidative reactors, which were electrically independent of each other, with each having its own counterelectrode. The first continuous-flow potentiostatic run with the reductive reactor (polarized at −450 mV vs SHE) resulted in obtaining 100% ± 1% removal efficiency of the influent PCE, while the oxidative reactor (polarized at +1.4 V vs SHE) oxidized the vinyl chloride and ethylene from the reductive reactor, with removal efficiencies of 100% ± 2% and 92% ± 1%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspective on Groundwater Contamination Treatment: Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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13 pages, 1599 KiB  
Article
Operation of a 2-Stage Bioelectrochemical System for Groundwater Denitrification
by Arianna Callegari, Silvia Bolognesi and Daniele Cecconet
Water 2019, 11(5), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11050959 - 08 May 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2729
Abstract
Nitrate groundwater contamination is an issue of global concern that has not been satisfactorily and efficiently addressed, yet. In this study, a 2-stage, sequential bioelectrochemical system (BES) was run to perform autotrophic denitrification of synthetic groundwater. The system was run at a 75.6 [...] Read more.
Nitrate groundwater contamination is an issue of global concern that has not been satisfactorily and efficiently addressed, yet. In this study, a 2-stage, sequential bioelectrochemical system (BES) was run to perform autotrophic denitrification of synthetic groundwater. The system was run at a 75.6 mgNO3−-N L−1NCC d−1 nitrate loading rate, achieving almost complete removal of nitrate (>93%) and Total Nitrogen (TN) (>93%). After treatment in the first stage reactor values of effluent nitrate compatible with the EU and USA limits for drinking water (<11.3 and 10 mgNO3−-N L−1, respectively) were achieved. Nitrite and nitrous oxide were observed in the first stage’s effluent, and were then successfully removed in the second stage. The observed nitrate removal rate was 73.4 ± 1.3 gNO3−-N m−3NCC d−1, while the total nitrogen removal rate was 73.1 ± 1.2 gN m−3NCC d−1. Specific energy consumptions of the system were 0.80 ± 0.00 kWh m−3, 18.80 ± 0.94 kWh kgNO3−-N−1 and 18.88 ± 0.95 kWh kgN−1. Combination of two denitrifying BES in series herein described proved to be effective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspective on Groundwater Contamination Treatment: Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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Review

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21 pages, 719 KiB  
Review
Progress Towards Bioelectrochemical Remediation of Hexavalent Chromium
by Gabriele Beretta, Matteo Daghio, Anna Espinoza Tofalos, Andrea Franzetti, Andrea Filippo Mastorgio, Sabrina Saponaro and Elena Sezenna
Water 2019, 11(11), 2336; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11112336 - 07 Nov 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3318
Abstract
Chromium is one of the most frequently used metal contaminants. Its hexavalent form Cr(VI), which is exploited in many industrial activities, is highly toxic, is water-soluble in the full pH range, and is a major threat to groundwater resources. Alongside traditional approaches to [...] Read more.
Chromium is one of the most frequently used metal contaminants. Its hexavalent form Cr(VI), which is exploited in many industrial activities, is highly toxic, is water-soluble in the full pH range, and is a major threat to groundwater resources. Alongside traditional approaches to Cr(VI) treatment based on physical-chemical methods, technologies exploiting the ability of several microorganisms to reduce toxic and mobile Cr(VI) to the less toxic and stable Cr(III) form have been developed to improve the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of remediating hexavalent chromium-contaminated groundwater. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), principally investigated for wastewater treatment, may represent an innovative option for groundwater remediation. By using electrodes as virtually inexhaustible electron donors and acceptors to promote microbial oxidation-reduction reactions, in in situ remediation, BESs may offer the advantage of limited energy and chemicals requirements in comparison to other bioremediation technologies, which rely on external supplies of limiting inorganic nutrients and electron acceptors or donors to ensure proper conditions for microbial activity. Electron transfer is continuously promoted/controlled in terms of current or voltage application between the electrodes, close to which electrochemically active microorganisms are located. Therefore, this enhances the options of process real-time monitoring and control, which are often limited in in situ treatment schemes. This paper reviews research with BESs for treating chromium-contaminated wastewater, by focusing on the perspectives for Cr(VI) bioelectrochemical remediation and open research issues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspective on Groundwater Contamination Treatment: Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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24 pages, 4557 KiB  
Review
Bioelectrochemical Systems for Groundwater Remediation: The Development Trend and Research Front Revealed by Bibliometric Analysis
by Wei Li, Xiaohong Chen, Linshen Xie, Zhao Liu and Xiangyun Xiong
Water 2019, 11(8), 1532; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11081532 - 24 Jul 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4517
Abstract
Due to the deficiency of fresh water resources and the deterioration of groundwater quality worldwide, groundwater remedial technologies are especially crucial for preventing groundwater pollution and protecting the precious groundwater resource. Among the remedial alternatives, bioelectrochemical systems have unique advantages on both economic [...] Read more.
Due to the deficiency of fresh water resources and the deterioration of groundwater quality worldwide, groundwater remedial technologies are especially crucial for preventing groundwater pollution and protecting the precious groundwater resource. Among the remedial alternatives, bioelectrochemical systems have unique advantages on both economic and technological aspects. However, it is rare to see a deep study focused on the information mining and visualization of the publications in this field, and research that can reveal and visualize the development trajectory and trends is scarce. Therefore, this study summarizes the published information in this field from the Web of Science Core Collection of the last two decades (1999–2018) and uses Citespace to quantitatively visualize the relationship of authors, published countries, organizations, funding sources, and journals and detect the research front by analyzing keywords and burst terms. The results indicate that the studies focused on bioelectrochemical systems for groundwater remediation have had a significant increase during the last two decades, especially in China, Germany and Italy. The national research institutes and universities of the USA and the countries mentioned above dominate the research. Environmental Science & Technology, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Water Research are the most published journals in this field. The network maps of the keywords and burst terms suggest that reductive microbial diversity, electron transfer, microbial fuel cell, etc., are the research hotspots in recent years, and studies focused on microbial enrichment culture, energy supply/recovery, combined pollution remediation, etc., should be enhanced in future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspective on Groundwater Contamination Treatment: Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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