Application of a Halophilic Consortium for Saline Phenol Wastewater Treatment and Bioelectricity Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells: An AI-Driven Evaluation.
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
- 2Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
- 3Department of Civil Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India.
- 4Department of Genetic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
- 5Princess Al-Jawhara Al-Ibrahim Center of Excellence in Research of Hereditary Disorders, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
- 6Department of Energy Science, Sung Kyun Kwan University, Suwon 440 746, Republic of Korea.
- 7Department of Environmental Protection and Control, Global Environmental Management Services (REVIVA), Jeddah 21514, Saudi Arabia.
- 8Department of Technical Services (Environment), Global Environmental Management Services (REVIVA), Jeddah 21514, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
High organic pollutant load and salinity pose major challenges for the biological treatment of industrial wastewater. This study evaluated an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (AC-MFC) inoculated with halophilic microorganisms for the simultaneous treatment of phenol-contaminated saline industrial wastewater and bioelectricity generation. The AC-MFC was operated at organic loads (OLs) of 1.2, 2.5, 3.2, 4.8, 6.2 and 8.6 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L, with optimum performance at 6.2 g COD/L. In optimal conditions, the system achieved a maximum voltage of 803 mV, power density of 460.6 mW/m², current density of 573.6 mA/m², and total and soluble COD removal efficiencies of 90% and 89%, respectively. Complete phenol degradation was achieved within 8 days. High-throughput sequencing revealed dominant halophilic taxa, including Ochrobactrum, Marinobacter, Bacillus and Stenotrophomonas, which may contribute to pollutant degradation and extracellular electron transfer. A Random Forest regression model implemented using Python/scikit-learn was further developed using OL and operational time as input variables to predict treatment and electrochemical performance. The model identified 6.2 gCOD/L as the optimum OL, consistent with the experimental results. Overall, inoculation of halophilic consortium coupled with AC-MFC technology demonstrates potential for simultaneous treatment of saline phenolic wastewater and bioelectricity generation, while artificial intelligence provides a useful tool for process optimization.
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BibTeX
@article{alarishi2026application,
title = {{Application of a Halophilic Consortium for Saline Phenol Wastewater Treatment and Bioelectricity Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells: An AI-Driven Evaluation.}},
author = {Rawan Mohammed Alarishi and Arulazhagan Pugazhendi and Dinesh Kumar Mathew and Babajan Banaganapalli and Kowsalya Palanisamy and Tabreaz Basrur Zainula and Jeyakumar Dhavamani},
journal = {Biotech (Basel (Switzerland))},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/biotech15040086},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930063},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Application of a Halophilic Consortium for Saline Phenol Wastewater Treatment and Bioelectricity Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells: An AI-Driven Evaluation.
AU - Rawan Mohammed Alarishi
AU - Arulazhagan Pugazhendi
AU - Dinesh Kumar Mathew
AU - Babajan Banaganapalli
AU - Kowsalya Palanisamy
AU - Tabreaz Basrur Zainula
AU - Jeyakumar Dhavamani
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Biotech (Basel (Switzerland))
DO - 10.3390/biotech15040086
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930063
AB - High organic pollutant load and salinity pose major challenges for the biological treatment of industrial wastewater. This study evaluated an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (AC-MFC) inoculated with halophilic microorganisms for the simultaneous treatment of phenol-contaminated saline industrial wastewater and bioelectricity generation. The AC-MFC was operated at organic loads (OLs) of 1.2, 2.5, 3.2, 4.8, 6.2 and 8.6 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L, with optimum performance at 6.2 g COD/L. In optimal conditions, the system achieved a maximum voltage of 803 mV, power density of 460.6 mW/m², current density of 573.6 mA/m², and total and soluble COD removal efficiencies of 90% and 89%, respectively. Complete phenol degradation was achieved within 8 days. High-throughput sequencing revealed dominant halophilic taxa, including Ochrobactrum, Marinobacter, Bacillus and Stenotrophomonas, which may contribute to pollutant degradation and extracellular electron transfer. A Random Forest regression model implemented using Python/scikit-learn was further developed using OL and operational time as input variables to predict treatment and electrochemical performance. The model identified 6.2 gCOD/L as the optimum OL, consistent with the experimental results. Overall, inoculation of halophilic consortium coupled with AC-MFC technology demonstrates potential for simultaneous treatment of saline phenolic wastewater and bioelectricity generation, while artificial intelligence provides a useful tool for process optimization.
SN - 2673-6284
ER -