Table 1. Chemical characteristics of the anode and cathode influents of the denitrifying MFC.
| Anode | Cathode | ||||||
| Period | Days ofoperation | Flow (L·d−1) | COD (mg·L−1) | Flow (L·d−1) | COD (mg·L−1) | N-NO2 − (mg·L−1) | N-NO3 − (mg·L−1) |
| Period 1 (Autotrophic with NO3 −) | 0–76 | 2.4±0.3 | 745±231 | 2.0±0.3 | n.d. | 0.3±0.2 | 26.6±1.3 |
| Period 2 (Heterotrophic with NO3 −) | 77–182 | 1.5±0.6 | 895±175 | 1.4±0.5 | 64±21 | 1.0±0.4 | 29.6±5.3 |
| Period 3 (Autotrophic with NO2 −) | 183–350 | 1.2±0.2 | 923±266 | 1.2±0.2 | n.d. | 20.3±1.7 | 2.9±4.7 |
Represented values are the means and standard deviations (n = 5) at steady state conditions.
COD: chemical oxygen demand, N-NO2 −: nitrogen in form of nitrite; N-NO3 −: nitrogen in form of nitrate; n.d., not detected.