Dynamic Changes in Soil Microbial Communities with Glucose Enrichment in Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells

To investigate soil microbial community dynamics in sediment microbial fuel cells (MFCs), this study applied nonhydric (D) and hydric (S) soils to single-chamber and mediator-free MFCs. Glucose was also used to enrich microorganisms in the soils. The voltage outputs of both the D and S sediment MFCs increased over time but differed from each other. The initial open circuit potentials were 345 and 264 mV for the D and S MFCs. The voltage output reached a maximum of 503 and 604 mV for D and S on days 125 and 131, respectively. The maximum power densities of the D and S MFCs were 2.74 and 2.12 mW m^-2, analyzed on day 50. Clustering results revealed that the two groups did not cluster after glucose supplementation and 126 days of MFC function. The change in Geobacter abundance was consistent with the voltage output, indicating that these bacteria may act as the main exoelectrogens on the anode. Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated that, in the D soils, Geobacter was positively correlated with Dialister and negatively correlated with Bradyrhizobium, Kaistobacter, Pedomicrobium, and Phascolarctobacterium; in the S soils, Geobacter was positively correlated with Shewanella and negatively correlated with Blautia. The results suggested that different soil sources in the MFCs and the addition of glucose as a nutrient produced diverse microbial communities with varying voltage output efficiencies.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-021-00959-x.

Functional Interrelationships of Microorganisms in Iron-Based Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment

This study explicated the functional activities of microorganisms and their interrelationships under four previously reported iron reducing conditions to identify critical factors that governed the performance of these novel iron-dosed anaerobic biological wastewater treatment processes. Various iron-reducing bacteria (FeRB) and sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) were identified as the predominant species that concurrently facilitated organics oxidation and the main contributors to removal of organics. The high organic contents of wastewater provided sufficient electron donors for active growth of both FeRB and SRB. In addition to the organic content, Fe (III) and sulfate concentrations (expressed by Fe/S ratio) were found to play a significant role in regulating the microbial abundance and functional activities. Various fermentative bacteria contributed to this FeRB-SRB synergy by fermenting larger organic compounds to smaller compounds, which were subsequently used by FeRB and SRB. Feammox (ferric reduction coupled to ammonium oxidation) bacterium was identified in the bioreactor fed with wastewater containing ammonium. Organic substrate level was a critical factor that regulated the competitive relationship between heterotrophic FeRB and Feammox bacteria. There were evidences that suggested a synergistic relationship between FeRB and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB), where ferric iron and organics concentrations both promoted microbial activities of FeRB and NFB. A concept model was developed to illustrate the identified functional interrelationships and their governing factors for further development of the iron-based wastewater treatment systems.

Dynamic evolution of electrochemical and biological features in microbial fuel cells upon chronic exposure to increasing oxytetracycline dosage

Dynamic changes in power generation and electrochemical properties were compared between the control microbial fuel cells (C-MFC) and an oxytetracycline (OTC)-treated MFC (O-MFC) on days 84, 139, 174, 224, 295, 307 and 353. The results showed that a high concentration of OTC (>5 mg·L^-1) could inhibit microbial activity and result in a decline of voltage output and power density compared with the same C-MFC. However, with the prolongation of incubation time, the inhibitory effect was gradually weakened. Electrochemical analyses demonstrated that long-term OTC acclimation reduced the ohmic and polarisation resistance of the anode, which was conducive to the recovery of electrochemical performance. More than 99% of 10 mg·L^-1 OTC could be removed within 48 h, and the antibacterial activity of the MFC effluent on Escherichia coli DH5α was conclusively eliminated. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the diversity and richness of the microbial community decreased significantly after long-term OTC enrichment. Acinetobacter, Petrimonas, Spirochaetaceae and Delftia were enriched and played a dominant role in C-MFC stability and power generation. The promotion by Cupriavidus, Geobacter and Stenotrophomonas in simultaneous OTC degradation and bioelectricity generation in the O-MFC was demonstrated.

Optimization of operating conditions of miniaturize single chambered microbial fuel cell using NiWO4/graphene oxide modified anode for performance improvement and microbial communities dynamics

NiWO₄ and graphene oxide (NWG) modified anodic carbon cloth (CC) is used to improve the performance of single chambered microbial fuel cell (SMFC) by statistical optimization of operational parameters. The properties of synthesized NWG nanocomposite on the surface of modified anode are characterized by FTIR, XRD, EDX, TEM and SEM analysis. The optimum level of operational parameters maximize the power density (PD) 1458 mW/m² of SMFC having NWG modified anode and observed 8.5 fold improvements with respect to control. The electrochemical activities of the modified/un-modified anode in SMFC are determined by CV, PD, polarization curves and EIS. Significant improvement occurs in electron transfer between the microbes and modified anode due to internal resistance reduction and better biocompatible surface observed by EIS and microbial analysis results. The 10 miniaturize SMFCs in series, parallel and series-parallel connections produced 7, 31 and 18% higher PD in comparison with a medium size SMFC, respectively.

Enhancement of the denitrification activity by exoelectrogens in single-chamber air cathode microbial fuel cells

Single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can efficiently treat wastewater containing nitrate, probably because the interaction between exoelectrogens and denitrifying bacteria may enhance the denitrification activity of MFCs. In this study, the denitrification of nitrate with a wide range of concentrations was investigated by using single-chamber air cathode MFCs. The maximum average denitrification rate of the MFCs inoculated and operated under closed-circuit conditions (Group N-CC) was up to 12.2 ± 0.6 kg NO₃^--N m^-3 d^-1 at a high nitrate concentration of 2000 mg NO₃-N L^-1, which was 74.3% higher than that of the MFCs inoculated and operated under open-circuit conditions and which was significantly higher than those of other MFC systems and many traditional bioreactors. The high denitrification activity of the MFCs of Group N-CC was attributed to the significant reduction of nitrite accumulation through the possible bioelectrochemical nitrite reduction by exoelectrogens that were only enriched at the anodes of the MFCs of Group N-CC. In addition, the MFCs of Group N-CC showed good stability (over 3.5 years) and low apparent activation energy (34.0 kJ mol^-1) of the denitrification, indicating the good coexistence of exoelectrogens (Geobacter) and denitrifying bacteria (Thauera) with high performance on denitrification during the long-term operation.

Synchronous microbial vanadium (V) reduction and denitrification in groundwater using hydrogen as the sole electron donor

Groundwater co-contaminated by vanadium (V) (V(V)) and nitrate requires efficient remediation to prevent adverse environmental impacts. However, little is known about simultaneous bio-reductions of V(V) and nitrate supported by gaseous electron donors in aquifers. This study is among the first to examine microbial V(V) reduction and denitrification with hydrogen as the sole electron donor. V(V) removal efficiency of 91.0 ± 3.2% was achieved in test bioreactors within 7 d, with synchronous, complete removal of nitrate. V(V) was reduced to V(IV), which precipitated naturally under near-neutral conditions, and nitrate tended to be converted to nitrogen, both of which processes helped to purify the groundwater. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were produced from hydrogen oxidation. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomic analyses revealed the evolutionary behavior of microbial communities and functional genes. The genera Dechloromonas and Hydrogenophaga promoted bio-reductions of V(V) and nitrate directly coupled to hydrogen oxidation. Enriched Geobacter and denitrifiers also indicated synergistic mechanism, with VFAs acting as organic carbon sources for heterotrophically functional bacteria while reducing V(V) and nitrate. These findings are likely to be useful in revealing biogeochemical fates of V(V) and nitrate in aquifer and developing technology for removing them simultaneously from groundwater.

Simulation and resolution of voltage reversal in microbial fuel cell stack

To understand the biotic and non-biotic contributions of voltage reversals in microbial fuel cell stacks (MFC) they were simulated with an electronic MFC-Stack mimic. The simulation was then compared with results from a real 3L triple MFC-Stack with shared anolyte. It showed that voltage reversals originate from the variability of biofilms, but also the external load plays a role. When similar biofilm properties were created on all anodes the likelihood of voltage reversals was largely reduced. Homogenous biofilms on all anodes were created by electrical circuit alternation and electrostimulation. Conversely, anolyte recirculation, or increased nutriment supply, postponed reversals and unfavourable voltage asymmetries on anodes persisted. In conclusion, voltage reversals are often a negative event but occur also in close to best MFC-Stack performance. They were manageable and this with a simplified MFC architecture in which multiple anodes share the same anolyte.

Ecological and Transcriptional Responses of Anode-Respiring Communities to Nitrate in a Microbial Fuel Cell

A poorly understood phenomenon with a potentially significant impact on electron recovery is competition in microbial fuel cells (MFC) between anode-respiring bacteria and microorganisms that use other electron acceptors. Nitrate is a constituent of different wastewaters and can act as a competing electron acceptor in the anode. Studies investigating the impact of competition on population dynamics in mixed communities in the anode are lacking. Here, we investigated the impact of nitrate at different C/N ratios of 1.8, 3.7, and 7.4 mg C/mg N on the electrochemical performance and the biofilm community in mixed-culture chemostat MFCs. The electrochemical performance of the MFC was not affected under electron donor non-limiting conditions, 7.4 mg C/mg N. At lower C/N, electron donor limiting and ratio electron recovery were significantly affected. The electrochemical performance recovered upon removal of nitrate at 3.7 mg C/mg N but did not at 1.8 mg C/mg N. Microbial community analysis showed a decrease in Deltaproteobacteria accompanied by an increase in Betaproteobacteria in response to nitrate at low C/N ratios and no significant changes at 7.4 mg C/mg N. Transcriptional analysis showed increased transcription of nirK and nirS genes during nitrate flux, suggesting that denitrification to N₂ and not facultative nitrate reduction by Geobacter spp. might be the primary response to perturbation with nitrate.

Selective enrichment of electrogenic bacteria for fuel cell application: Enumerating microbial dynamics using MiSeq platform

This study is intended to examine the effect of pretreatment on selective enrichment of electrogenic bacteria from mixed culture. It has been observed that the iodopropane and heat-shock pretreatments suppress the growth of non-exoelectrons, while selecting only a limited number of strains belonging to genera Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas and Prevotella while untreated control inoculum showed more diverse community comprising of both exoelectrogens and non-exoelectrogens. High power output was observed in iodopropane (180mW/m(2)) pretreated microbial fuel cell (MFC) compared to heat-shock pretreated MFC (128mW/m(2)) and untreated control (92mW/m(2)). Coulombic efficiency of iodopropane and heat-shock pretreated MFC was higher compared to untreated control MFC, while drop in pH and volatile fatty acids (VFA) production was less in iodopropane pretreated MFC signifying the shifts in bacterial community structure toward electrogenesis instead of fermentation. These results signify the role of iodopropane and heat pretreatments on enrichment of electrogenic bacteria for fuel cell application.

Effects of various organic carbon sources on simultaneous V(V) reduction and bioelectricity generation in single chamber microbial fuel cells

Four ordinary carbon sources affecting V(V) reduction and bioelectricity generation in single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were investigated. Acetate supported highest maximum power density of 589.1mW/m(2), with highest V(V) removal efficiency of 77.6% during 12h operation, compared with glucose, citrate and soluble starch. Exorbitant initial V(V) concentration led to lower V(V) removal efficiencies and power outputs. Extra addition of organics had little effect on the improvement of MFCs performance. V(V) reduction and bioelectricity generation were enhanced and then suppressed by the increase of conductivity. The larger the external resistance, the higher the V(V) removal efficiencies and voltage outputs. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing analysis implied the accumulation of Enterobacter which had the capabilities of V(V) reduction, electrochemical activity and fermentation, accompanied with other functional species as Pseudomonas, Spirochaeta, Sedimentibacter and Dysgonomonas. This study steps forward to remediate V(V) contaminated environment based on MFC technology.

Behavior of dissolved organic carbon sources on the microbial reduction and precipitation of vanadium(v) in groundwater

The performance of anaerobic microbial vanadium(v) reduction using five ordinary dissolved organic carbon sources was evaluated.

Geobacter, Anaeromyxobacter and Anaerolineae populations are enriched on anodes of root exudate-driven microbial fuel cells in rice field soil

Plant-based sediment microbial fuel cells (PMFCs) couple the oxidation of root exudates in living rice plants to current production. We analysed the composition of the microbial community on anodes from PMFC with natural rice field soil as substratum for rice by analysing 16S rRNA as an indicator of microbial activity and diversity. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis indicated that the active bacterial community on anodes from PMFCs differed strongly compared with controls. Moreover, clones related to Deltaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi were highly abundant (49% and 21%, respectively) on PMFCs anodes. Geobacter (19%), Anaeromyxobacter (15%) and Anaerolineae (17%) populations were predominant on anodes with natural rice field soil and differed strongly from those previously detected with potting soil. In open circuit (OC) control PMFCs, not allowing electron transfer, Deltaproteobacteria (33%), Betaproteobacteria (20%), Chloroflexi (12%), Alphaproteobacteria (10%) and Firmicutes (10%) were detected. The presence of an electron accepting anode also had a strong influence on methanogenic archaea. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens were more active on PMFC (21%) than on OC controls (10%), whereas acetoclastic Methanosaetaceae were more active on OC controls (31%) compared with PMFCs (9%). In conclusion, electron accepting anodes and rice root exudates selected for distinct potential anode-reducing microbial populations in rice soil inoculated PMFC.

Effect of zeolite on SPEEK /zeolite hybrid membrane as electrolyte for microbial fuel cell applications

A zeolite (H-faujasite) incorporated SPEEK membrane was demonstrated as an effective proton exchange membrane for Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) application.

Identifying the microbial communities and operational conditions for optimized wastewater treatment in microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that exploit microorganisms as "biocatalysts" to recover energy from organic matter in the form of electricity. MFCs have been explored as possible energy neutral wastewater treatment systems; however, fundamental knowledge is still required about how MFC-associated microbial communities are affected by different operational conditions and can be optimized for accelerated wastewater treatment rates. In this study, we explored how electricity-generating microbial biofilms were established at MFC anodes and responded to three different operational conditions during wastewater treatment: 1) MFC operation using a 750 Ω external resistor (0.3 mA current production); 2) set-potential (SP) operation with the anode electrode potentiostatically controlled to +100 mV vs SHE (4.0 mA current production); and 3) open circuit (OC) operation (zero current generation). For all reactors, primary clarifier effluent collected from a municipal wastewater plant was used as the sole carbon and microbial source. Batch operation demonstrated nearly complete organic matter consumption after a residence time of 8-12 days for the MFC condition, 4-6 days for the SP condition, and 15-20 days for the OC condition. These results indicate that higher current generation accelerates organic matter degradation during MFC wastewater treatment. The microbial community analysis was conducted for the three reactors using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Although the inoculated wastewater was dominated by members of Epsilonproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes species, the electricity-generating biofilms in MFC and SP reactors were dominated by Deltaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Within Deltaproteobacteria, phylotypes classified to family Desulfobulbaceae and Geobacteraceae increased significantly under the SP condition with higher current generation; however those phylotypes were not found in the OC reactor. These analyses suggest that species related to family Desulfobulbaceae and Geobacteraceae are correlated with the electricity generation in the biofilm and may be key players for optimizing wastewater treatment rates and energy recovery in applied MFC systems.

Convergent development of anodic bacterial communities in microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are often inoculated from a single wastewater source. The extent that the inoculum affects community development or power production is unknown. The stable anodic microbial communities in MFCs were examined using three inocula: a wastewater treatment plant sample known to produce consistent power densities, a second wastewater treatment plant sample, and an anaerobic bog sediment. The bog-inoculated MFCs initially produced higher power densities than the wastewater-inoculated MFCs, but after 20 cycles all MFCs on average converged to similar voltages (470±20 mV) and maximum power densities (590±170 mW m⁻²). The power output from replicate bog-inoculated MFCs was not significantly different, but one wastewater-inoculated MFC (UAJA3 (UAJA, University Area Joint Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant)) produced substantially less power. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiling showed a stable exoelectrogenic biofilm community in all samples after 11 cycles. After 16 cycles the predominance of Geobacter spp. in anode communities was identified using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries (58±10%), fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) (63±6%) and pyrosequencing (81±4%). While the clone library analysis for the underperforming UAJA3 had a significantly lower percentage of Geobacter spp. sequences (36%), suggesting that a predominance of this microbe was needed for convergent power densities, the lower percentage of this species was not verified by FISH or pyrosequencing analyses. These results show that the predominance of Geobacter spp. in acetate-fed systems was consistent with good MFC performance and independent of the inoculum source.

The electric picnic: synergistic requirements for exoelectrogenic microbial communities

Characterization of the various microbial populations present in exoelectrogenic biofilms provides insight into the processes required to convert complex organic matter in wastewater streams into electrical current in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Analysis of the community profiles of exoelectrogenic microbial consortia in BESs fed different substrates gives a clearer picture of the different microbial populations present in these exoelectrogenic biofilms. Rapid utilization of fermentation end products by exoelectrogens (typically Geobacter species) relieves feedback inhibition for the fermentative consortia, allowing for rapid metabolism of organics. Identification of specific syntrophic processes and the communities characteristic of these anodic biofilms will be a valuable aid in improving the performance of BESs.