High shear enrichment improves the performance of the anodophilic microbial consortium in a microbial fuel cell.
In many microbial bioreactors, high shear rates result in strong attachment of microbes and dense biofilms. In this study, high shear rates were applied to enrich an anodophilic microbial consortium in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). Enrichment at a shear rate of about 120 s(-1) resulted in the production of a current and power output two to three times higher than those in the case of low shear rates (around 0.3 s(-1)). Biomass and biofilm analyses showed that the anodic biofilm from the MFC enriched under high shear rate conditions, in comparison with that under low shear rate conditions, had a doubled average thickness and the biomass density increased with a factor 5. The microbial community of the former, as analysed by DGGE, was significantly different from that of the latter. The results showed that enrichment by applying high shear rates in an MFC can result in a specific electrochemically active biofilm that is thicker and denser and attaches better, and hence has a better performance.
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Hai The
HT
Pham
Nico
N
Boon
Peter
P
Aelterman
Peter
P
Clauwaert
Liesje
L
De Schamphelaire
Patrick
P
van Oostveldt
Kim
K
Verbeken
Korneel
K
Rabaey
Willy
W
Verstraete
D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000382:microbiology*; D018441:Biofilms; D004566:Electrodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D033081:Shear Strength
Trends Biotechnol. 2005 Jun;23(6):291-8
15922081
Biotechnol Bioeng. 2001 Jan 20;72(2):205-18
11114658
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jul 25;103(30):11358-63
16849424
FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2002 Feb 1;39(2):101-12
19709189
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2008 Mar;78(3):409-18
18193419
J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol. 2002 Dec;29(6):347-53
12483477
Environ Sci Technol. 2006 Sep 1;40(17):5181-92
16999087
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006 Nov;72(11):7345-8
16936064
Nature. 2005 Jun 23;435(7045):1098-101
15973408
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2002 Aug;81(1-4):245-56
12448723
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Mar 11;105(10):3968-73
18316736
Environ Sci Technol. 2006 May 15;40(10):3388-94
16749711
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2004 Feb;63(6):672-81
12908088
Biosens Bioelectron. 2007 Mar 15;22(8):1672-9
16939710
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2008 Jan;77(5):1119-29
17968538
Environ Sci Technol. 2007 May 1;41(9):3354-60
17539549
Water Sci Technol. 2005;52(1-2):515-23
16180472
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Mar;69(3):1548-55
12620842
Microbiology (Reading). 2000 Oct;146 ( Pt 10):2395-2407
11021916
Biotechnol Bioeng. 1998 May 20;58(4):400-7
10099274
Biodegradation. 2008 Apr;19(2):187-95
17487553
Trends Microbiol. 2006 Dec;14(12):512-8
17049240
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 Mar;59(3):695-700
7683183
ISME J. 2007 May;1(1):9-18
18043609
Nucleic Acids Res. 1997 Sep 1;25(17):3389-402
9254694
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2000 Jul;66(7):2906-13
10877785