Use of a single-chamber, air-cathode MFC for policyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remediation in water environment

The possible utilization of MFCs technology to the remediation of waters polluted by Polyclicic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) was explored in this work. Ten microbial strains, isolated in urban environment, were inoculated in a MFC (three replicates) fuelled by 400 ml Winogradsky saline solution containing no other carbon and energy sources than anthracene (100 ppm), naphthalene (200 ppm), phenantrene (100 ppm), pyrene (100 ppm), benzo(a)pyrene (50 ppm) and incubated at 25°C. The performances were evaluated in terms of Power Density (PD), Current Density (CD), PAHs degradation rate and toxicity vs Daphnia magna and Lepidium sativum. A significant variability in PD (486 μW/m3 on average) was measured along with a maximum CD of 9 mA/m3. A degradation of 53% (naphthalene), 28% (anthracene and phenanthrene), 17% (pyrene) and 25% (benzo(a)pyrene) but, an increase in ecotoxicity vs L.sativum was measured in Winogradsky solutions+PAHs after one month