Recent applications of bioelectrochemical system for useful resource recovery: retrieval of nutrient and metal from wastewater

Abstract

Sustainable energy and carbon neutrality has been a key issue in waste/wastewater management. Recovery and recycling of materials such as nutrients and metal are highly anticipated to achieve a zero-energy treatment and pollution control, and subsequently secure sustainability of exhausted resources. The difficulty of resource recovery from waste/wastewater and sediment is mainly due to the immature technology, and dispersed (or less concentrated) target resources in wastewater and natural source that results in technical challenges and poor economics. Bioelectrochemical system (BES) has been widely investigated for electrical energy recovery, intermediate chemical production and recently for useful resource recovery. Certain amounts of energy in wastewater can be used as reducing power for energy production as well as for useful material recovery from wastewater and natural sources using a novel inter-disciplinary biotechnology, BES simultaneously treating wastewater.