title: Characteristic changes in algal organic matter derived from Microcystis aeruginosa in microbial fuel cells.
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate behavior of algal organic matter (AOM) during bioelectrochemical oxidation in microbial fuel cell in terms of compositions and structures. Study revealed that the AOM derived from blue-green algae Microcystis aeruginosa could be degraded more completely (82% COD removal) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) than by anaerobic fermentation (24% COD removal) in a control reactor without closed-circuit electrode and electricity was produced simultaneously. A variety of techniques were used to characterize the changes in AOM compositions and structures during bioelectrochemical oxidation. The presence of syntrophic interactions between electrochemical active bacteria and fermentative bacteria to degrade large molecular organics into small molecular substances, which could be oxidized by electrode but not by fermentation. The dominant tryptophan protein-like substances, humic acid-like substances and Chlorophyll a in AOM were highly degraded during MFC treatment.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China.
authors.forename: Dongmei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China. Electronic address: cuifuyi_hit@163.com.
authors.forename: Fuyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000382:microbiology*; D004560:Electricity; D004563:Electrochemistry; D046931:Microcystis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals
keywords: Algal organic matter (AOM); FT-IR spectroscopy; Fluorescence EEM spectroscopy; Microbial fuel cell (MFC); Molecular weight distribution