Robust System Stability of a Conductive Ceramic Membrane-Integrated Electrochemical Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Membrane Bioreactor under High Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Stress
This study addresses the limitation of slow and unstable syntrophic propionate degradation in anaerobic systems, which is often a bottleneck in methane production. Conventional pathways rely on interspecies H2 transfer, but this process is thermodynamically constrained and easily inhibited. To overcome this, the study explores a co-culture of Syntrophobacter fumaroxidans and Geobacter sulfurreducens in a bioelectrochemical system. The system enables enhanced electron transfer, including the potential involvement of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). As a result, syntrophic metabolism is improved, leading to more efficient and stable anaerobic degradation processes.