Rapid Bioelectrochemical Monitoring Shipboard Effluent

To address the Navy’s need for real time monitoring of organics in wastewater treatment systems, Lynntech proposes a microbial fuel cell based sensor for monitoring Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) of shipboard effluents. The proposed sensor directly converts chemical energy of organic compounds from the wastewater into electric energy, which can then be correlated to the BOD content. It is expected that the sensor will accurately measure the BOD with response times of less than 1 hour, greatly reducing the time required compared to the conventional 5-day BOD method. By providing near real-time feedback about the performance of marine sanitation devices, crew members can adjust the treatment system’s operation and maintenance and prevent the discharge of insufficiently treated wastewater. The proposed sensor will include innovative design features to overcome technical challenges imposed by shipboard operations. Additional benefits of the sensor include its sensitivity to low levels of BOD, the potential for operation over extended time periods, ease of automation and low maintenance requirements.