Development of a high power density and self-powered soil microbial fuel cell for energy production and biorremediation of the soil and water contamined with BTEXs from oil and its derivatives

• Grant number: 23/14790-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Adalgisa Rodrigues de Andrade
• Grantee: João Carlos de Souza
• Supervisor: Mirella di Lorenzo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Bath, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/12866-9 - Development of electrochemical sensors used in the electrochemical detection of BTEXs in petroleum wastewater self-fed by a microbial fuel cell: BTEXs detection, treatment and energy production, BP.PD

Abstract

The contamination of soil and water by oil and its derivatives has increased considerably, causing serious damage to health and the environment, and ending up becoming an object of significant concern among researchers and regulatory agencies in the area of health and the environment. Oil and its derivatives are composed of a mixture of different organic compounds. Among the organic compounds, BTEXs (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzenes and xylenes) stand out, which have high toxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. For these reasons, the main research efforts have focused on monitoring, detection, quantification, remediation and treatment of these compounds in soil and water. In this context, the development of a self-sustainable powered system for bioremediation and detection of these contaminants by a soil microbial fuel cell (SMFC) appears to be a very attractive and promising alternative. In this way, the generation of energy, detection and monitoring of BTEXs in soil and water can be combined in a single system. Through SMFC it is possible to carry out bioremediation, degradation and treatment of various contaminants present in soil and water through the action of microorganisms. In this way, the bioelectricity generated can be used as an energy source for electrochemical sensors or biosensors coupled to the SMFC structure, thus generating a self-powered device. Electrochemical sensors or biosensors, developed through the modification of electrodes, can be an excellent alternative for detecting, quantifying and monitoring various compounds present in different matrices with reliable, fast, easy-to-handle and low-cost responses. Furthermore, they allow the development of more robust analytical methods, with high performance and portability. Thus, through the construction of a device combining SMFC with electrochemical sensors coupled to its structure, it is possible to simultaneously perform bioremediation, degradation, treatment and electrochemical quantification of various compounds, such as BTEXs, present in soil and water samples. To this end, it is proposed to develop a project in partnership with Professor Mirella Di Lorenzo (Department of Chemical Engineering at University of Bath - England - United Kingdom), who has expertise and extensive experience in the development of bioelectrochemical interfaces, innovative low-cost biological fuel cell (BFC) and SMFC for energy capture, soil quality monitoring, water or healthcare applications, in order to develop a new SMFC for the production of electrical energy, treatment, bioremediation and degradation of highly toxic organic compounds, such as BTEXs, present in soil and water. In this project we propose the development of a high power density and self-powered SMFC for energy production by bioremediation of soil and water contaminated with BTEXs from oil and its derivatives. As an additional objective, we also propose an attempt to couple an electrochemical sensor to SMFC in order to develop and obtain a system with self-powered electrochemical sensors for detection, determination and quantification of BTEXs. The efficiency of the detection and treatment system will be evaluated by analyzing the amount of BTEXs, toxicity and mutagenicity of soil and water samples before and after treatment using SMFC. Finally, the development of this research project will effectively contribute to finding new technologies for soil and water treatment, contributing to risk assessment, environmental preservation and human health.