Articles techniques et présentations

Most conventional wastewater treatment processes are quite energy-intensive. Global wastewater production is increasing due to growth in population, industrialization, and urbanization, creating an urgent need for energy-efficient wastewater treatment technologies. Moreover, waste streams (industrial and domestic) have drawn renewed interest as resources for water, energy, and product recovery. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have a unique potential to utilize waste streams to treat wastewater, produce energy, and provide a renewable source for many important chemicals. A model structure is defined in Excel®, with microbial characteristics coded in MATLAB® and the model structure validation and parameter calibration performed in COMSOL Multiphysics®. The model structure produced can be used to perform technical evaluations of BES applications including wastewater treatment, industrial chemical production (using microbes), water desalination and bioremediation.