G O Zhdanova

Irkutsk State University, 1, st. Karl Marx, Irkutsk, 664003, Russia

Abstract

The influence of heavy metal salts (mercury and cadmium chlorides, copper sulfate) on the dynamics of electricity generation by activated sludge of treatment facilities in biofuel cells (BFC) has been studied. It was shown that the compounds under study reduced the electrogenic activity of the sludge when the content in the waste water was from 0.05 g / l. At the indicated concentrations, they significantly reduced the dehydrogenase activity of sludge microorganisms and their total microbial number. With a sequential increase in the concentration of toxicants in wastewater, a sequential decrease in the electrical parameters of the studied BFCs was noted, i.e. the concentration dependence of the studied parameters was observed. This allows us to propose a biofuel cell based on activated sludge as a tool for the primary non-specific assessment of wastewater pollution with heavy metal salts. In addition, on the basis of the obtained ranges of concentrations of metals capable of reducing electrogenesis in BFC, recommendations can be formulated for the parameters of the effluents entering the treatment.