title: A novel approach to recycle bacterial culture waste for fermentation reuse via a microbial fuel cell-membrane bioreactor system.
abstract: Biochemical production processes require water and nutrient resources for culture media preparation, but aqueous waste is generated after the target products are extracted. In this study, culture waste (including cells) produced from a lab-scale fermenter was fed into a microbial fuel cell-membrane bioreactor (MFC-MBR) system. Electrical energy was generated via the interaction between the microbial consortia and the solid electrode in the MFC. The treated wastewater was reclaimed in this process which was reused as a solvent and a nutrient source in subsequent fermentation. Polarization testing showed that the MFC produced a maximum current density of 37.53 A m(-3) with a maximum power density of 5.49 W m(-3). The MFC was able to generate 0.04 kWh of energy per cubic meter of culture waste treated. The lab-scale fermenters containing pure cultures of an engineered Pseudomonas spp. were used to generate 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC), a high value platform chemical. When the MFC-MBR-treated wastewater was used for the fermenter culture medium, a specific bacterial growth rate of 1.00 ± 0.05 h(-1) was obtained with a PDC production rate of 708.11 ± 64.70 mg PDC L(-1) h(-1). Comparable values for controls using pure water were 0.95 ± 0.06 h(-1) and 621.01 ± 22.09 mg PDC L(-1) h(-1) (P > 0.05), respectively. The results provide insight on a new approach for more sustainable bio-material production while at the same time generating energy, and suggest that the treated wastewater can be used as a solvent and a nutrient source for the fermentation production of high value platform chemicals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Liangpeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Goodell
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sonoki
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000382:microbiology*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000378:metabolism*; D004735:Energy Transfer; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D017743:Equipment Reuse; D005285:Fermentation; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D059027:Recycling / Q000379:methods*; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D008567:Membranes, Artificial