Dell'Armi, E., P. Ciampi, A. Marchetti, E. Bartsch, M. Alesi, E.J. Alesi, G. Rehner, B. Matturro, V. Feigl, M. Molnar, S. Rossetti, M.P. Papini, and M. Zeppilli.
Chemical Engineering Journal 524:169825(2025)
Filed Under: Demonstrations
Filed Under: Demonstrations
This study presents the performance of a scaled-up sequential anaerobic/aerobic bioelectrochemical system (BES) integrated with a groundwater circulation well system that was applied to a CAH-contaminated site in Northern Italy. The pilot system, consisting of four 105 L modules, operated under three different hydraulic retention times and potentiostatic conditions. Maximum tetrachloroethane removal was 1.23 mg/L/d, with a coulombic efficiency of 0.83%. The study includes aquifer geological characterization, essential for assessing the long-term behavior of the DNAPL source, and microbial analysis of the inoculum used to prime the system. Ecotoxicity tests were conducted on both influent and effluent to evaluate environmental risks. Results showed slight initial toxicity for Aliivibrio fischeri but no adverse effects on protozoa, plants, or Daphnids. This study represents the largest effort to scale up a bioelectrochemical process to remediate CAHs, and one of the largest bioelectrochemical pilot installations overall in terms of the electrode active area. Findings highlight both the potential and the challenges of scaling up BES for CAH remediation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894725106682/pdfft?md5=3fb2260c148e963413ed5af001790cf7&pid=1-s2.0-S1385894725106682-main.pdf