Reduction of 4-chloronitrobenzene in a bioelectrochemical reactor with biocathode at ambient temperature for a long-term operation

In this study, the enhancement on 4-chloronitrobenzene (4-CNB) reduction was investigated in a dual-bioelectrochemical system with the cathode seeded by enriched 4-CNB degradation inoculums. We demonstrated that the biocathode had the ability to promote 4-CNB reduction and avoid more reluctant byproducts production. At room temperature, when initial 4-CNB concentration was 20. mg/L with 0.5. V external voltage, the 4-CNB removal efficiency reached 93.7%, while in the abiotic reactor and anaerobic bioreactor reduction rate were 62.9% and 88.4%, respectively. The 4-CNB was mainly converted to 4-CAN (para-chloroaniline). Some of the 4-CAN could be dechlorinated and form aniline (AN), which was more degradable by microorganism. The biodiversity was richer based on the result of scanning electron microscope. Results also showed that the present used reactor was feasible to simplify pollutant transformation and improve transformation efficiency compared with the single abiotic cathode and anaerobic reactor. The bioelectrochemical reactor cathode provided a promising condition for pollutants reduction.