Aquacell Case Study

Industries that use and discharge a large proportion of water are of significant European economic importance, generating over €1500 billion turnover and employing over 7.5 million people in 220,000 companies (90% SMEs). With a growing demand in Europe for water, finite reservoirs of readily treatable water, rising energy costs and increased environmental legislation, the EU industry is experiencing significant competitive threats with regards to cost efficient supply and treatment of water.

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) use electrochemically active microbes to convert the energy of organic chemical bonds to electrical energy. MFCs encompass unique features that offer advantages for the treatment of wastewater, including: efficient electricity generation, minimal sludge formation, operation at low temperature, and modular cell design enabling operation at small scale and customisation to specific end-user requirements.

A core group of SMEs have identified a unique opportunity to advance MFC technology for industrial wastewater treatment, thereby generating sustainable and competitive business growth. Key innovations include: MFC intimate coupling with photocatalytic advanced oxidation, a membraneless MFC cathode integrating convective proton transfer techniques, and a scalable cost efficient MFC and architecture design incorporating innovative process monitoring and control strategies. System features and benefits include:

• Equivalent capital cost with existing aerobic treatment solutions
• Significant operational cost savings, realised through:
• the recovery of organic content as electrical energy and achieving system sustainability (self-powering)
• enhanced treatment efficiency, enabling water re-use for on-site non-potable applications
• significant cost reductions for sludge disposal and treated wastewater discharge to sewer
• flexible design and operation customised to specific end-user (sector) requirements and enabling treatment of wastewaters of varying composition and containing hazardous micropollutants.
• The project will result in a pilot scale MFC system demonstrated for a target industrial wastewater. AquaCell will generate €40 million business growth for its SMEs within a three year period, creating 94 jobs and has the potential to benefit more than 29,700 major water using SMEs within the wider European manufacturing sector.