Whole cell electrochemistry of electricity-producing microorganisms evidence an adaptation for optimal exocellular electron transport

Intermittent polarization: A promising strategy for microbial electricity driven reduction of DOM toxicity in actual industrial wastewater

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in actual industrial wastewater comprises various compounds that trigger toxicity in aquatic organisms; thus, advanced treatment for reducing DOM toxicity is urgently needed to ensure safe effluent discharge. Herein, we successfully reduced the toxicity of DOM in actual industrial wastewater without external chemical addition by applying intermittent polarization to electrochemical bioreactors. The bioreactor operated under intermittent polarization effectively reduced the toxicity of DOM by 76.7 %, resulting in the toxicity of effluent DOM (determined by malformation rate of zebrafish larvae) reaching less than 3.5 %. Notably, DOM compounds with high double-bond equivalence (DBE ≥ 8) were identified as the key components responsible for the toxicity of DOM through ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry analysis. Insight into microbe-DOM interactions revealed that intermittent polarization promoted the microbial consumption of high-DBE components of DOM by both affecting microbial composition (β = -0.5421, p < 0.01) and function (β = -0.4831, p < 0.01), thus regulating effluent DOM toxicity. The study findings demonstrate that intermittent polarization is a promising strategy for microbial electricity-driven reduction of DOM toxicity in actual industrial wastewater to meet the increasing safety requirements of receiving waters.

Microbial Electrochemical Fluidized Bed Reactor: A Promising Solution for Removing Pollutants From Pharmaceutical Industrial Wastewater

The capacity of electroactive bacteria to exchange electrons with electroconductive materials has been explored during the last two decades as part of a new field called electromicrobiology. Such microbial metabolism has been validated to enhance the bioremediation of wastewater pollutants. In contrast with standard materials like rods, plates, or felts made of graphite, we have explored the use of an alternative strategy using a fluid-like electrode as part of a microbial electrochemical fluidized bed reactor (ME-FBR). After verifying the low adsorption capacity of the pharmaceutical pollutants on the fluid-bed electrode [7.92 ± 0.05% carbamazepine (CBZ) and 9.42 ± 0.09% sulfamethoxazole (SMX)], our system showed a remarkable capacity to outperform classical solutions for removing pollutants (more than 80%) from the pharmaceutical industry like CBZ and SMX. Moreover, the ME-FBR performance revealed the impact of selecting an anode potential by efficiently removing both pollutants at + 200 mV. The high TOC removal efficiency also demonstrated that electrostimulation of electroactive bacteria in ME-FBR could overcome the expected microbial inhibition due to the presence of CBZ and SMX. Cyclic voltammograms revealed the successful electron transfer between microbial biofilm and the fluid-like electrode bed throughout the polarization tests. Finally, Vibrio fischeri-based ecotoxicity showed a 70% reduction after treating wastewater with a fluid-like anode (+ 400 mV), revealing the promising performance of this bioelectrochemical approach.

The influence of external resistance on the performance of microbial fuel cell and the removal of sulfamethoxazole wastewater

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising equipment for simultaneous treatment of sewage and power generation. External resistance (R_ext) plays a crucial impact in the performance of MFCs in antibiotic wastewater treatment and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) reduction. In this study, R_ext and whether to add 20 mg/L sulfamethoxazole (SMX) as variables, it was observed that the performance of several chemical properties of MFCs was optimal when R_ext was 1000 Ω. The power density before and after addition of SMX was 1220.5 ± 24.5 mW/m² and 1186.2 ± 9.2 mW/m², respectively; Furthermore, the degradation rate of SMX was as high as 87.52 ± 1.97% within 48 h. High-throughput sequencing results showed that both R_ext and SMX affected the microbial community and relative abundance of the phylum and genera. Meanwhile, the MFCs with 1000 Ω R_ext generated less the targeted ARGs. Experimental results showed that 1000 Ω was the most suitable R_ext for MFCs in the treatment of antibiotic wastewater.

Microbial Fuel Cell for Energy Production, Nutrient Removal and Recovery from Wastewater: A Review

The world is facing serious threats from the depletion of non-renewable energy resources, freshwater shortages and food scarcity. As the world population grows, the demand for fresh water, energy, and food will increase, and the need for treating and recycling wastewater will rise. In the past decade, wastewater has been recognized as a resource as it primarily consists of water, energy-latent organics and nutrients. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) have attracted considerable attention due to their versatility in their applications in wastewater treatment, power generation, toxic pollutant removal, environmental monitoring sensors, and more. This article provides a review of MFC technologies applied to the removal and/or recovery of nutrients (such as P and N), organics (COD), and bioenergy (as electricity) from various wastewaters. This review aims to provide the current perspective on MFCs, focusing on the recent advancements in the areas of nutrient removal and/or recovery with simultaneous power generation.

A comprehensive review on emerging constructed wetland coupled microbial fuel cell technology: Potential applications and challenges

Constructed wetlands (CWs) integrated with bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are being intensively researched with the names like constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC), electro-wetlands, electroactive wetlands, and microbial electrochemical technologies-based constructed wetland since the last decade. The implantation of BES in CW facilitates the tuning of redox activities and electron flow balance in aerobic and anaerobic zones in the CW bed matrix, thereby alleviating the limitation associated with electron acceptor availability and increasing its operational controllability. The benefits of CW-MFC include high treatment efficiency, electricity generation, and recalcitrant pollutant abatement. This article presents CW-MFC technology's journey since its emergence to date, encompassing the research done so far, including the basic principle and functioning, bio-electrocatalysts as its machinery, influential factors for microbial interactions, and operational parameters controlling different processes. A few key challenges and potential applications are also discussed for the CW-MFC systems.

A chip-based 128-channel potentiostat for high-throughput studies of bioelectrochemical systems: Optimal electrode potentials for anodic biofilms

The presence of microorganisms performing extracellular electron transfer has been established in many environments. Research to determine their role is moving slowly due to the high cost of potentiostats and the variance of data with small number of replicates. Here, we present a 128-channel potentiostat, connected to a 128 gold electrode array. Whereas the system is able to perform simultaneously 128 (bio)electrochemical measurements with an independent electrical signal input, the present manufacturing of the array limited the number of effective channels for this study to 77. We assessed the impact of 11 electrode potentials ranging from -0.45V to +0.2V vs. Ag/AgCl (7 replicates per potential) on the growth and electrochemical characteristics of anodic electroactive biofilms (EABs) formed by acetate-fed microbial communities. After 7 days of growth, maximum current was reached for electrodes poised at -0.3V, closely followed by -0.25V and -0.1V to +0.1V, a range well-fitting the midpoint potential of minerals naturally reduced by electroactive bacteria such as Geobacter Sulfurreducens. There was no significant difference in apparent midpoint potential of the EABs (-0.35V), suggesting that the mechanism of heterogeneous electron transfer was not affected by the electrode potential. The EABs poised below current plateau potential (≤-0.3V) exhibited slower growth but higher charge transfer parameters. The high-throughput and high reproducibility provided by the array may have a major facilitating impact on the field of electromicrobiology. Key aspects to improve are data processing algorithms to deal with the vast amount of generated data, and manufacturing of the electrode array itself.

A Disposable, Papertronic Three-Electrode Potentiostat for Monitoring Bacterial Electrochemical Activity

Bacterial electrochemical activities can promote sustainable energy and environmental engineering applications. Characterizing their ability is critical for effectively adopting these technologies. Conventional studies of the electroactive bacteria are limited to insensitive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive two-electrode microbial fuel cell (MFC) techniques. Even the latest miniaturized MFC array is limited by irreproducibility and uncontrollability. In this work, we created a 4-well electrochemical sensing array with an integrated, custom-made three-electrode potentiostat to provide a controllable analytic capability without unwanted perturbations. A simple potentiostat circuit used two operational amplifiers and one resistor, allowing chronoamperometric and staircase voltammetric analyses of three well-known electroactive bacteria species: Shewanella oneidensis MR1, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, and Bacillus subtilis. Portability and disposability were emphasized by integrating all the functions into a paper substrate, which makes analyses possible at the point-of-use and in resource-limited settings without a bulky and expensive benchtop potentiostat. After use, the papertronic system was disposed of safely by incineration without posing any bacterial cytotoxic risks. This novel sensing platform creates an inexpensive, scalable, time-saving, high-performance, and user-friendly platform that facilitates the study of fundamental electrocatalytic activities of bacteria.

Effects of temporary external voltage on the performance and community of microbial fuel cells

This study evaluated the effects of temporary external voltage on the performance of two-chambered microbial fuel cells (MFC) that use nitrate wastewater as a substrate. Results indicate that the external voltage affected the performance of the MFC during their operation, and this effect remained even after the voltage was removed. The degradation efficiency of the chemical oxygen demand increased in the MFC under external voltages of 0.5, 0.8, and 1.1 V, and the optimal applied voltage was 1.1 V. Compared with the control group without external voltages, the MFC under a voltage of 1.1 V achieved higher current densities and efficiency of nitrate removal during their operation. The MFC with an applied voltage of 1.1 V also achieved the highest maximum power density of 2,035.08 mW/m³. The applied voltages of 0.5 and 0.8 V exerted a positive effect on the performance of the MFC. High-throughput sequencing was used to explore the anode and cathode biofilms. Results showed that the influence was highly associated with microbial community in bio-anode. The predominant functional family changed from Methanotrichaceae during start-up to Flavobacteriaceae in a steady phase.

In situ synthesis of polypyrrole on graphite felt as bio-anode to enhance the start-up performance of microbial fuel cells

This study introduces an effective method to deposit polypyrrole (PPy) on graphite felt (GF) as anode to improve the start-up performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The results of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical testing reveal that polypyrrole is able to improve the electrical conductivity and surface roughness, which is beneficial to the microorganism attachment and growth. It shows that microorganisms grow faster on polypyrrole-modified anode than on unmodified anode. It takes ca. 5 days for polypyrrole-modified anode to reach a reproducible voltage platform, while it takes 11 days for unmodified anode. Moreover, the maximum power density of microbial fuel cells with polypyrrole-modified anode was 919 mW m^-2, which were 2.3 times of that with unmodified anode. This research revealed that polypyrrole modification can improve the start-up performance of microbial fuel cells. It is considered as a feasible, economical and sustainable anode.

Degradation mechanisms of sulfamethoxazole and its induction of bacterial community changes and antibiotic resistance genes in a microbial fuel cell

In this study, more than 85.1% of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) could be degraded within 60 h. The strengthening of microbial metabolisms and the sustainment of electrical stimulation contributed to the rapid removal of SMX in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). High-performance liquid chromatography identified that SMX could be thoroughly degraded into less harmful alcohols and methane after the MFC processing. In addition, the major role of Shewanella sp. and Geobacteria sp. in power generation, and the promotion of Alcaligenes, Pseudomonas and Achromobacter in SMX degradation have been demonstrated. Moreover, this study further proved that the copy numbers of targeted antibiotic resistance genes and integrons produced in MFCs were much lower than those found in conventional wastewater treatment plants; MFCs seem to be a promising alternative to reduce antibiotics in wastewater treatment and water purification.

Evaluation of microbial p-chloroaniline degradation in bioelectrochemical reactors in the presence of easily-biodegrading cosubstrates: Degradation efficiency and bacterial community structure

This study aimed to illustrate p-Chloroaniline (p-CIA) biodegradation efficiencies in bioelectrochemical reactors under stimulation by a low-voltage electric field (0.2 V versus Ag/AgCl) in the presence of easily-degrading cosubstrates including glucose and acetate. The biodegradation efficiencies of closed-circuit bioreactors were compared with those of open-circuit reactors. Experimental results showed that the six different bioreactors provided different p-CIA biodegradation efficiencies. The highest biodegradation efficiency of 38.5 ± 10.3 mg/l was obtained in a closed-circuit bioreactor with acetate and the lowest biodegradation efficiency of 15.7 ± 9.4 mg/l was obtained in an open-circuit bioreactor. This difference may be attributed to the presence of electrical stimulation and acetate. The results for generated current and biodegradation efficiency indicated that acetate is a better cosubstrate than glucose. High-throughput sequencing technologies were used to characterise the bacterial community structure of the six bioreactors and revealed that different bacterial communities resulted in different treatment efficiencies.

Degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and determination of bacterial community structure by micro-electrical stimulation with or without external organic carbon source

This study aimed to investigate the degradation efficiency of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol through a batch of potentiostatic experiments (0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl). Efficiencies in the presence and absence of acetate and glucose were compared through open-circuit reference experiments. Significant differences in degradation efficiency were observed in six reactors. The highest and lowest degradation efficiencies were observed in the closed-circuit reactor fed with glucose and in the open-circuit reactor, respectively. This finding was due to the enhanced bacterial metabolism caused by the application of micro-electrical field and degradable organics as co-substrates. The different treatment efficiencies were also caused by the distinct bacterial communities. The composition of bacterial community was affected by adding different organics as co-substrates. At the phylum level, the most dominant bacteria in the reactor with the added acetate and glucose were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, respectively.

Effect of air-exposed biocathode on the performance of a Thauera-dominated membraneless single-chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC)

To investigate the effect of air-exposed biocathode (AEB) on the performance of single-chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC), wastewater quality, bioelectrochemical characteristics and the electrode biofilms were researched. It was demonstrated that exposing the biocathode to air was beneficial to nitrogen removal and current generation. In Test 1 of 95% AEB, removal rates of ammonia, total nitrogen (TN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reached 99.34%±0.11%, 99.34%±0.10% and 90.79%±0.12%, respectively. The nitrogen removal loading rates were 36.38gN/m³/day. Meanwhile, current density and power density obtained at 0.7A/m³ and 104mW/m³ respectively. Further experiments on open-circuit (Test 2) and carbon source (Test 3) indicated that this high performance could be attributed to simultaneous biological nitrification/denitrification and aerobic denitrification, as well as bioelectrochemical denitrification. Results of community analysis demonstrated that both microbial community structures on the surface of the cathode and in the liquid of the chamber were different. The percentage of Thauera, identified as denitrifying bacteria, maintained at a high level of over 50% in water, but decreased gradually in the AEB. Moreover, the genus Nitrosomonas, Alishewanella, Arcobacter and Rheinheimera were significantly enriched in the AEB, which might contribute to both enhancement of nitrogen removal and electricity generation.

Bioelectrochemical BTEX removal at different voltages: assessment of the degradation and characterization of the microbial communities

BTEX compounds (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes) are toxic hydrocarbons that can be found in groundwater due to accidental spills. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are an innovative technology to stimulate the anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons. In this work, single chamber BESs were used to assess the degradation of a BTEX mixture at different applied voltages (0.8V, 1.0V, 1.2V) between the electrodes. Hydrocarbon degradation was linked to current production and to sulfate reduction, at all the tested potentials. The highest current densities (about 200mA/m² with a maximum peak at 480mA/m²) were observed when 0.8V were applied. The application of an external voltage increased the removal of toluene, m-xylene and p-xylene. The highest removal rate constants at 0.8V were: 0.4±0.1days^-1, 0.34±0.09days^-1 and 0.16±0.02days^-1, respectively. At the end of the experiment, the microbial communities were characterized by high throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Microorganisms belonging to the families Desulfobulbaceae, Desulfuromonadaceae and Geobacteraceae were enriched on the anodes suggesting that both direct electron transfer and sulfur cycling occurred. The cathodic communities were dominated by the family Desulfomicrobiaceae that may be involved in hydrogen production.

Bioelectrochemical biosensor for water toxicity detection: generation of dual signals for electrochemical assay confirmation

Toxicity assessment of water is of great important to the safety of human health and to social security because of more and more toxic compounds that are spilled into the aquatic environment. Therefore, the development of fast and reliable toxicity assessment methods is of great interest and attracts much attention. In this study, by using the electrochemical activity of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 cells as the toxicity indicator, 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) as the model toxic compound, a new biosensor for water toxicity assessment was developed. Strikingly, the presence of DCP in the water significantly inhibited the maximum current output of the S. oneidensis MR-1 in a three-electrode system and also retarded the current evolution by the cells. Under the optimized conditions, the maximum current output of the biosensor was proportional to the concentration of DCP up to 30 mg/L. The half maximal inhibitory concentration of DCP determined by this biosensor is about 14.5 mg/L. Furthermore, simultaneous monitoring of the retarded time (Δt) for current generation allowed the identification of another biosensor signal in response to DCP which could be employed to verify the electrochemical result by dual confirmation. Thus, the present study has provided a reliable and promising approach for water quality assessment and risk warning of water toxicity.

Bioanode as a limiting factor to biocathode performance in microbial electrolysis cells

The bioanode is important for a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) and its robustness to maintain its catalytic activity affects the performance of the whole system. Bioanodes enriched at a potential of +0.2V (vs. standard hydrogen electrode) were able to sustain their oxidation activity when the anode potential was varied from -0.3 up to +1.0V. Chronoamperometric test revealed that the bioanode produced peak current density of 0.36A/m² and 0.37A/m² at applied potential 0 and +0.6V, respectively. Meanwhile hydrogen production at the biocathode was proportional to the applied potential, in the range from -0.5 to -1.0V. The highest production rate was 7.4L H₂/(m² cathode area)/day at -1.0V cathode potential. A limited current output at the bioanode could halt the biocathode capability to generate hydrogen. Therefore maximum applied potential that can be applied to the biocathode was calculated as -0.84V without overloading the bioanode.

Anode potential influences the structure and function of anodic electrode and electrolyte-associated microbiomes

Three bioelectrochemical systems were operated with set anode potentials of +300 mV, +550 mV and +800 mV vs. Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE) to test the hypothesis that anode potential influences microbial diversity and is positively associated with microbial biomass and activity. Bacterial and archaeal diversity was characterized using 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and biofilm thickness was measured as a proxy for biomass. Current production and substrate utilization patterns were used as measures of microbial activity and the mid-point potentials of putative terminal oxidases were assessed using cyclic voltammetry. All measurements were performed after 4, 16, 23, 30 and 38 days. Microbial biomass and activity differed significantly between anode potentials and were lower at the highest potential. Anodic electrode and electrolyte associated community composition was also significantly influenced by anode potential. While biofilms at +800 mV were thinner, transferred less charge and oxidized less substrate than those at lower potentials, they were also associated with putative terminal oxidases with higher mid-point potentials and generated more biomass per unit charge. This indicates that microbes at +800 mV were unable to capitalize on the potential for additional energy gain due to a lack of adaptive traits to high potential solid electron acceptors and/or sensitivity to oxidative stress.

Sacrificing power for more cost-effective treatment: A techno-economic approach for engineering microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising energy-positive wastewater treatment technology, however, the system's cost-effectiveness has been overlooked. In this study, two new anode materials - hard felt (HF) and carbon foam (CF) - were evaluated against the standard graphite brush (GB) to determine if using inexpensive materials with less than ideal properties can achieve more cost-effective treatment than high-cost, high-performing materials. Using domestic wastewater as the substrate, power densities for the GB, HF and CF-MFCs were 393, 339 and 291 mW m(-2) normalized by cathodic surface area, respectively. Higher power densities correlated with larger anodic surface areas and anodic current densities but not with electrical conductivity. Cyclic voltammetry revealed that redox systems used for extracellular electron transport in the GB, HF and CF-MFCs were similar (-0.143 ± 0.046, -0.158 ± 0.004 and -0.100 ± 0.014 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and that the electrochemical kinetics of the MFCs showed no correlation with their respective electrical conductivity. 16S rRNA sequencing showed the GB, HF and CF microbial community compositions were not statistically different while organic removal rates were nearly identical for all MFCs. The HF-MFC generated a power output to electrode cost (W $(-1)) 1.9 times greater than the GB-MFC, despite producing 14% less power and 15% less anodic current, while having 2.6 times less anodic surface area, 2.1 times larger charge transfer resistance and an electrical conductivity three orders of magnitude lower. The results demonstrate that inexpensive materials are capable of achieving more cost-effective treatment than high-performing materials despite generating lower power when treating real wastewater.

Effects of Incubation Conditions on Cr(VI) Reduction by c-type Cytochromes in Intact Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 Cells

It is widely recognized that the outer membrane c-type cytochromes (OM c-Cyts) of metal-reducing bacteria play a key role in microbial metal reduction processes. However, the in situ redox status of OM c-Cyts during microbial metal reduction processes remain poorly understood. In this study, diffuse-transmission UV/Vis spectroscopy is used to investigate the in situ spectral reaction of Cr(VI) reduction by c-Cyts in intact Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 cells under different incubation conditions. The reduced c-Cyts decreased transiently at the beginning and then recovered gradually over time. The Cr(VI) reduction rates decreased with increasing initial Cr(VI) concentrations, and Cr(III) was identified as a reduced product. The presence of Cr(III) substantially inhibited Cr(VI) reduction and the recovery of reduced c-Cyts, indicating that Cr(III) might inhibit cell growth. Cr(VI) reduction rates increased with increasing cell density. The highest Cr(VI) reduction rate and fastest recovery of c-Cyts were obtained at pH 7.0 and 30°C, with sodium lactate serving as an electron donor. The presence of O2 strongly inhibited Cr(VI) reduction, suggesting that O2 might compete with Cr(VI) as an electron acceptor in cells. This study provides a case of directly examining in vivo reaction properties of an outer-membrane enzyme during microbial metal reduction processes under non-invasive physiological conditions.

Enhanced anaerobic dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyl in sediments by bioanode stimulation

The application of a low-voltage electric field as an electron donor or acceptor to promote the bioremediation of chlorinated organic compounds represents a promising technology meeting the demand of developing an efficient and cost-effective strategy for in situ treatment of PCB-contaminated sediments. Here, we reported that bioanode stimulation with an anodic potential markedly enhanced dechlorination of 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 61) contained in the sediment at an electronic waste recycling site of Qingyuan, Guangdong, China. The 110-day incubation of the bioanode with a potential poised at 0.2 V relative to saturated calomel electrode enabled 58% transformation of the total PCB 61 at the initial concentration of 100 μmol kg(-1), while only 23% was reduced in the open-circuit reference experiment. The introduction of acetate to the bioelectrochemical reactor (BER) further improved PCB 61 transformation to 82%. Analysis of the bacterial composition showed significant community shifts in response to variations in treatment. At phylum level, the bioanode stimulation resulted in substantially increased abundance of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi either capable of PCB dechlorination, or detected in the PCB-contaminated environment. At genus level, the BER contained two types of microorganisms: electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) represented by Geobacter, Ignavibacterium, and Dysgonomonas, and dechlorinating bacteria including Hydrogenophaga, Alcanivorax, Sedimentibacter, Dehalogenimonas, Comamonas and Vibrio. These results suggest that the presence of EAB can promote the population of dechlorinating bacteria which are responsible for PCB 61 transformation.

Substrate and electrode potential affect electrotrophic activity of inverted bioanodes

Electricity-consuming microbial communities can serve as biocathodic catalysts in microbial electrochemical technologies. Initiating their functionality, however, remains a challenge. One promising approach is the polarity inversion of bioanodes. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of bioanode substrate and electrode potentials on inverted electrotrophic activity. Bioanodes derived from domestic wastewater were operated at -0.15V or +0.15V (vs. standard hydrogen electrode) with either acetate or formate as the sole carbon source. After this enrichment phase, cathodic linear sweep voltammetry and polarization revealed that formate-enriched cultures consumed almost 20 times the current (-3.0±0.78mA; -100±26A/m(3)) than those established with acetate (-0.16±0.09mA; -5.2±2.9A/m(3)). The enrichment electrode potential had an appreciable impact for formate, but not acetate, adapted cultures, with the +0.15V enrichment generating twice the cathodic current of the -0.15V enrichment. The total charge consumed during cathodic polarization was comparable to the charge released during subsequent anodic polarization for the formate-adapted cultures, suggesting that these communities accumulated charge or generated reduced products that could be rapidly oxidized. These findings imply that it may be possible to optimize electrotrophic activity through specific bioanodic enrichment procedures.

Stimulating soil microorganisms for mineralizing the herbicide isoproturon by means of microbial electroremediating cells

The absence of suitable terminal electron acceptors (TEA) in soil might limit the oxidative metabolism of environmental microbial populations. Microbial electroremediating cells (MERCs) consist in a variety of bioelectrochemical devices that aim to overcome electron acceptor limitation and maximize metabolic oxidation with the purpose of enhancing the biodegradation of a pollutant in the environment. The objective of this work was to use MERCs principles for stimulating soil bacteria to achieve the complete biodegradation of the herbicide ¹⁴C‐isoproturon (IPU) to ¹⁴CO₂ in soils. Our study concludes that using electrodes at a positive potential [+600 mV (versus Ag/AgCl)] enhanced the mineralization by 20‐fold respect the electrode‐free control. We also report an overall profile of the ¹⁴C‐IPU metabolites and a ¹⁴C mass balance in response to the different treatments. The remarkable impact of electrodes on the microbial activity of natural communities suggests a promising future for this emerging environmental technology that we propose to name bioelectroventing.

The effect of external resistance on biofilm formation and internal resistance in Shewanella inoculated microbial fuel cells

External resistance has a significant impact on the bioelectrochemical property and biofilm formation of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 on MFC anodes.

Performance and recent improvement in microbial fuel cells for simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal: A review

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have become a promising technology for wastewater treatment accompanying electricity generation. Carbon and nitrogen removal can be achieved by utilizing the electron transfer between the anode and cathode in an MFC. However, large-scale power production and high removal efficiency must be achieved at a low cost to make MFCs practical and economically competitive in the future. This article reviews the principles, feasibility and bottlenecks of MFCs for simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal, the recent advances and prospective strategies for performance improvement, as well as the involved microbes and electron transfer mechanisms.

Effects of constant or dynamic low anode potentials on microbial community development in bioelectrochemical systems

In bioelectrochemical systems, exoelectrogenic bacteria respire with anode electrodes as their extracellular electron acceptor; therefore, lower anode potentials can reduce the energy gain to each microbe and select against ones that are not able to respire at a lower potential range. Often fully developed anode communities are compared across bioelectrochemical systems with set anode potentials or fixed external resistances as different operational conditions. However, the comparative effect of the resulting constantly low versus dynamically low anode potentials on the development of anode microbial communities as well as the final cathode microbial communities has not been directly demonstrated. In this study, we used a low fixed anode potential of -250 mV and a higher-current control potential of -119 mV vs. Standard Hydrogen Electrode to approximately correspond with the negative peak anode potential values obtained from microbial fuel cells operated with fixed external resistances of 1 kΩ and 47 Ω, respectively. Pyrosequencing data from a 2-month time series show that a lower set anode potential resulted in a more diverse community than the higher- and variable-potential systems, likely due to the hindered enrichment of a Geobacter-dominated community with limited energy gain at this set potential. In this case, it appears that the selective pressure caused by the low set potential was counteracted by the low energy gain over a 2-month time scale. The air cathode microbial community with constant low anode potentials showed delayed enrichment of denitrifiers or perchlorate-reducing bacteria compared to the fixed external resistance condition.

A severe reduction in the cytochrome C content of Geobacter sulfurreducens eliminates its capacity for extracellular electron transfer

The ability of Geobacter species to transfer electrons outside the cell enables them to play an important role in a number of biogeochemical and bioenergy processes. Gene deletion studies have implicated periplasmic and outer-surface c-type cytochromes in this extracellular electron transfer. However, even when as many as five c-type cytochrome genes have been deleted, some capacity for extracellular electron transfer remains. In order to evaluate the role of c-type cytochromes in extracellular electron transfer, Geobacter sulfurreducens was grown in a low-iron medium that included the iron chelator (2,2'-bipyridine) to further sequester iron. Haem-staining revealed that the cytochrome content of cells grown in this manner was 15-fold lower than in cells exposed to a standard iron-containing medium. The low cytochrome abundance was confirmed by in situ nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (NERS). The cytochrome-depleted cells reduced fumarate to succinate as well as the cytochrome-replete cells do, but were unable to reduce Fe(III) citrate or to exchange electrons with a graphite electrode. These results demonstrate that c-type cytochromes are essential for extracellular electron transfer by G. sulfurreducens. The strategy for growing cytochrome-depleted G. sulfurreducens will also greatly aid future physiological studies of Geobacter species and other microorganisms capable of extracellular electron transfer.

Microscale microbial fuel cells: Advances and challenges

The next generation of sustainable energy could come from microorganisms; evidence that it can be seen with the given rise of Electromicrobiology, the study of microorganisms' electrical properties. Many recent advances in electromicrobiology stem from studying microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which are gaining acceptance as a future alternative "green" energy technology and energy-efficient wastewater treatment method. MFCs are powered by living microorganisms with clean and sustainable features; they efficiently catalyse the degradation of a broad range of organic substrates under natural conditions. There is also increasing interest in photosynthetic MFCs designed to harness Earth's most abundant and promising energy source (solar irradiation). Despite their vast potential and promise, however, MFCs and photosynthetic MFCs have not yet successfully translated into commercial applications because they demonstrate persistent performance limitations and bottlenecks associated with scaling up. Instead, microscale MFCs have received increasing attention as a unique platform for various applications such as powering small portable electronic elements in remote locations, performing fundamental studies of microorganisms, screening bacterial strains, and toxicity detection in water. Furthermore, the stacking of miniaturized MFCs has been demonstrated to offer larger power densities than a single macroscale MFC in terms of scaling up. In this overview, we discuss recent achievements in microscale MFCs as well as their potential applications. Further scientific and technological challenges are also reviewed.

Anode-biofilm electron transfer behavior and wastewater treatment under different operational modes of bioelectrochemical system

Anode-biofilm electron transfer behavior was investigated during the advanced wastewater treatment process by three bioelectrochemical systems (BESs): microbial fuel cell (MFC), MFC operated under short circuit condition (MSC), and microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). Under different operational modes, current produced by the anode biofilm varied from 0.92, 4.15 to 8.21mA in the sequence of MFC, MSC and MEC, respectively. The cyclic voltammetry test on the anode biofilm suggested that the current generation was achieved via various bioelectroactive species with formal potentials at -0.473, -0.402 and -0.345V (vs. SCE). Gibbs free energy and charge transfer resistance data demonstrated that different amounts of available bioelectroactive species functioned in different BESs. The comparative investigation among MFC, MSC and MEC suggested that MEC was the only feasible operational mode for advanced wastewater treatment, because of its superior current generation capability.

Microbial community composition is unaffected by anode potential

There is great controversy on how different set anode potentials affect the performance of a bioelectrochemical system (BES). It is often reported that more positive potentials improve acclimation and performance of exoelectrogenic biofilms, and alter microbial community structure, while in other studies relatively more negative potentials were needed to achieve higher current densities. To address this issue, the biomass, electroactivity, and community structure of anodic biofilms were examined over a wide range of set anode potentials (-0.25, -0.09, 0.21, 0.51, and 0.81 V vs a standard hydrogen electrode, SHE) in single-chamber microbial electrolysis cells. Maximum currents produced using a wastewater inoculum increased with anode potentials in the range of -0.25 to 0.21 V, but decreased at 0.51 and 0.81 V. The maximum currents were positively correlated with increasing biofilm biomass. Pyrosequencing indicated biofilm communities were all similar and dominated by bacteria most similar to Geobacter sulfurreducens. Differences in anode performance with various set potentials suggest that the exoelectrogenic communities self-regulate their exocellular electron transfer pathways to adapt to different anode potentials.

An in situ surface electrochemistry approach towards whole-cell studies: the structure and reactivity of a Geobacter sulfurreducens submonolayer on electrified metal/electrolyte interfaces

Characterisation of direct electron transfer processes between Geobacter sulfurreducens and the Au(111) surface was performed under electrochemical control.

Electroanalysis of microbial anodes for bioelectrochemical systems: basics, progress and perspectives

Over about the last ten years, microbial anodes have been the subject of a huge number of fundamental studies dealing with an increasing variety of possible application domains.

Influence of anode potentials on selection of Geobacter strains in microbial electrolysis cells

Through their ability to directly transfer electrons to electrodes, Geobacter sp. are key organisms for microbial fuel cell technology. This study presents a simple method to reproducibly select Geobacter-dominated anode biofilms from a mixed inoculum of bacteria using graphite electrodes initially poised at -0.25, -0.36 and -0.42 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The biofilms all produced maximum power density of approximately 270 m Wm(-2) (projected anode surface area). Analysis of 16S rRNA genes and intergenic spacer (ITS) sequences found that the biofilm communities were all dominated by bacteria closely related to Geobacter psychrophilus. Anodes initially poised at -0.25 V reproducibly selected biofilms that were dominated by a strain of G. psychrophilus that was genetically distinct from the strain that dominated the -0.36 and -0.42 V biofilms. This work demonstrates for the first time that closely related strains of Geobacter can have very different competitive advantages at different anode potentials.