Sequential Microbial Fuel Cell: Vermifilter System

-Ongaro Green Science Main Prize Winner-

With increasing demands on freshwater resources, we must find alternate means to recycle wastewater. On average, wineries generate six liters of wastewater (WW) for every liter of wine produced. Due to limited space, many wineries are faced with the burden and expense of transporting wastewaters to off-site facilities, raising the issue of not only intensive labor and costs of transporting WW to offsite treatment facilities, but also the added environmental impact of this practice. This research aims to determine if the implementation of red earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in a vermifilter will obviate the requirement of mechanical aeration. These earthworms burrow within the bed medium, enhancing the density of bacteria that have the ability for further degradation of recalcitrant polyphenolic compounds, thus making the WW suitable for agricultural use. To test this, concentrations of organics in WW were measured through the colorimetric soluble Chemical Oxygen Demand (sCOD) assays. We are currently testing a system for onsite treatment of winery WW to a level suitable for use in irrigation by a sequential Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) to a final vermifiltration system.