Evaluation of Energy Recovery from Constructed Wetlands-Microbial Fuel Cell Systems

<p dir="ltr"><i>Constructed wetlands integrated with microbial fuel cells (CW-MFCs) represent an innovative approach to wastewater treatment, combining ecological water purification with sustainable energy recovery. This study evaluates the performance and efficiency of CW-MFC systems in terms of energy generation, considering the ph of the wastewater and varying environmental temperatures, and the effects of CW-MFC size on power generation. This study also evaluates the CW-MFCs' efficiency under different operating conditions. For example, the planting of bamboo in two of the pilot-scale experimental rigs. The CW-MFC system degrades organic pollutants in agricultural wastewater and generates electricity by leveraging the metabolic activity of electrochemically active microorganisms. Key performance indicators, including power density, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, and nutrient recovery, were analysed across electrode materials, substrate types, and operational configurations. Four pilot-scale CW-MFCs were designed with gravel, sharp sand and garden soil with electrodes embedded at aerobic and anaerobic sections of the CW-MFC to pick up and transmit electrons</i><i>. Fargesia Black Pearl bamboo was planted on two of the rigs to create variables, and the other two were left without plants as a control measure. The bamboo is added to the variables to see the effects of the bamboo root exudates on the electric generation capability of the CW-MFC. </i><i>Voltage was measured hourly from 16:00:00 on 11/01/2025 to 15:00:00 on 02/03/2025. A total of 1,200 entries were recorded for each rig and analysed with the graphs below</i><i>.</i></p><p dir="ltr"><i>On average, the control rigs generated a minimum of 0.7 Volts and a maximum of 0.88 Volts, which is a 25% increase, while the variable rigs generated a minimum of 0.33 Volts and a maximum of 0.9 Volts, which is a 177.4% increase. </i><i>The variables started off with low voltage generation and gained about a 177.4% increase within the period of the experiment. This shows that the bamboo plant has an influence on the amount of current generated by CW-MFC</i><i>.</i></p><p dir="ltr"><br><i>This evaluation highlights the potential of CW-MFCs as a sustainable solution for renewable energy production that can be utilised to power low-energy-consuming gadgets in farms. Even with the results from the experiment, some of the challenges for real-life applications in agriculture would be low energy efficiency and scalability. Therefore, future research should focus on enhancing design for real-life applications, scaling up rigs for practical applications in agriculture, and integrating CW-MFCs with other renewable technologies. This study underscores the feasibility of CW-MFCs in advancing the nexus of clean water and energy sustainability for agriculture while addressing global environmental.</i></p>