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Fermentation
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Advance in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies
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Advance in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 6214

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Qing Feng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Interests: microbial electrochemical technology; anaerobic hydrogen/methane fermentation; energy/resources recovery; bioelectrochemical technology; wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbial electrochemical technology (MET) is to study and apply the interaction between microbial cells and electrodes (i.e., capacitive materials and electronic conductors ). For a long time, this sub-field of bioelectrochemistry has been the main interest of mainly fundamental researchers. In the past decade, MET has attracted the interest of more researchers and engineers. Microbial electrochemistry, which integrates microbiology, electrochemistry, and electronics, is a widely applied technology of sustainable platform technology in the fields of waste remediation, resource recovery, and bioenergy production. Researchers have transformed microbial fuel cell (MFC) from a concept to a technology. MFC is a system that converts the chemical energy of organic substances in waste/wastewater into electrical energy. In addition, a large number of derivative technologies have been developed, such as microbial desalination cell (MDC), microbial electrosynthesis (MES), microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), photomicrobial fuel cell (photoMFC), cellular electrophysiology (CE) and biological computing. More and more systems are often referred to as bioelectrochemical system (BES) or electrobiological technology (EBT) in the literature. In recent years, based on the basic mechanism of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), significant progress has been made in designing and operating MET in various applications.

This special issue aims to introduce the down-to-date scientific progress in the basic and diverse applications of MET. The authors are invited to submit papers related to the following topics, including but not limited to: BES, EBT, MDC, MEC, MFC, MES, electroactive microorganisms, DIET, Cellular electrophysiology, electrode (material, catalyst, shape, and arrangement), electrode potential and electrostatic field, MET platform, design, and operation.

Dr. Qing Feng
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microbial electrochemical technology
  • bioelectrochemistry
  • microbial fuel cell
  • microbial electrolysis cell
  • direct interspecies electron transfer
  • electroactive microorganisms

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1704 KiB  
Article
Enhancement of Succinic Acid Production by Actinobacillus succinogenes in an Electro-Bioreactor
by Julian Tix, Leon Gotthardt, Joshua Bode, Burak Karabacak, Janne Nordmann, Jan-Niklas Hengsbach, Roland Ulber and Nils Tippkötter
Fermentation 2024, 10(10), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10100504 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 886
Abstract
This work examines the electrochemically enhanced production of succinic acid using the bacterium Actinobacillus succinogenes. The principal objective is to enhance the metabolic potential of glucose and CO2 utilization via the C4 pathway in order to synthesize succinic acid. We report [...] Read more.
This work examines the electrochemically enhanced production of succinic acid using the bacterium Actinobacillus succinogenes. The principal objective is to enhance the metabolic potential of glucose and CO2 utilization via the C4 pathway in order to synthesize succinic acid. We report on the development of an electro-bioreactor system to increase succinic acid production in a power-2-X approach. The use of activated carbon fibers as electrode surfaces and contact areas allows A. succinogenes to self-initiate biofilm formation. The integration of an electrical potential into the system shifts the redox balance from NAD+ to NADH, increasing the efficiency of metabolic processes. Mediators such as neutral red facilitate electron transfer within the system and optimize the redox reactions that are crucial for increased succinic acid production. Furthermore, the role of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in electron transfer was investigated. The electro-bioreactor system developed here was operated in batch mode for 48 h and showed improvements in succinic acid yield and concentration. In particular, a run with 100 µM neutral red and a voltage of −600 mV achieved a yield of 0.7 gsuccinate·gglucose−1. In the absence of neutral red, a higher yield of 0.72 gsuccinate·gglucose−1 was achieved, which represents an increase of 14% compared to the control. When a potential of −600 mV was used in conjunction with 500 µg∙L−1 CNTs, a 21% increase in succinate concentration was observed after 48 h. An increase of 33% was achieved in the same batch by increasing the stirring speed. These results underscore the potential of the electro-bioreactor system to markedly enhance succinic acid production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies)
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11 pages, 6482 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Biofilm Formation on Air Cathodes with Quaternary Ammonium Compounds in Microbial Fuel Cells
by Laura Landwehr, Dennis R. Haupt, Michael Sievers and Ulrich Kunz
Fermentation 2024, 10(8), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10080408 - 7 Aug 2024
Viewed by 849
Abstract
The use of gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can improve their cell performance, but tends to cause fouling. In order to allow long-term stable operation, the search for antifouling methods is necessary. Therefore, an antibacterial coating with ammonium compounds [...] Read more.
The use of gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can improve their cell performance, but tends to cause fouling. In order to allow long-term stable operation, the search for antifouling methods is necessary. Therefore, an antibacterial coating with ammonium compounds is investigated. Within the first 30 days of operation, the maximum measured power density of a GDE with antibacterial ionomer was 606 mW m−2. The GDE without an antifouling treatment could only reach a maximum of 284 mW m−2. Furthermore, there was an optimum in the loading amount with ionomer below 2.6 mg cm−2. Further investigations showed that additional aeration of the GDEs by a fan had a negative effect on their performance. Despite the higher performance, the antibacterial coating could not prevent biofilm growth at the surface of the GDE. The thickness of the biofilm was only reduced by 14–16%. However, the weight of the biofilm on the treated GDEs was 62–80% less than on a GDE without an antifouling treatment. Consequently, the coating cannot completely prevent fouling, but possibly leads to a lower density of the biofilm or prevents clogging of the pores inside the electrodes and improves their long-term stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies)
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15 pages, 2314 KiB  
Article
The Bioaugmentation of Electroactive Microorganisms Enhances Anaerobic Digestion
by Zheng-Kai An, Young-Chae Song, Keug-Tae Kim, Chae-Young Lee, Seong-Ho Jang and Byung-Uk Bae
Fermentation 2023, 9(11), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9110988 - 20 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1981
Abstract
Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) between electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) offers significant potential to enhance methane production, necessitating research for its practical implementation. This study investigated enhanced methane production through DIET in an anaerobic digester bio-augmented with EAMs. A horizontal anaerobic digester (HAD) operated [...] Read more.
Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) between electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) offers significant potential to enhance methane production, necessitating research for its practical implementation. This study investigated enhanced methane production through DIET in an anaerobic digester bio-augmented with EAMs. A horizontal anaerobic digester (HAD) operated for 430 days as a testbed to validate the benefits of bioaugmentation with EAMs. Anaerobic digestate slurry, discharged from the HAD, was enriched with EAMs in a bioelectrochemical auxiliary reactor (BEAR) under an electric field. This slurry enriched with EAMs was then recirculated into the HAD. Results showed bio-augmentation with EAMs led to an increase in volatile solids removal from 56.2% to 77.5%, methane production rate from 0.59 to 1.00 L/L.d, methane yield from 0.26 to 0.34 L/g CODr, and biogas methane content from 59.9% to 71.6%. It suggests that bio-augmentation enhances DIET, promoting the conversion of volatile fatty acids to methane and enhancing resilience against kinetic imbalances. The enrichment of EAMs reached optimal efficacy under an electric field intensity of 2.07 V/cm with a mean exposure time of 2.53 days to the electric field in the BEAR. Bio-augmentation with externally enriched EAMs is a feasible and effective strategy to optimize anaerobic digestion processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies)
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14 pages, 2694 KiB  
Article
Influence of Organic Loading Rate on Methane Production from Brewery Wastewater in Bioelectrochemical Anaerobic Digestion
by Hongda Pan, Qing Feng, Yong Zhao, Xiaoxiang Li and Hao Zi
Fermentation 2023, 9(11), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9110932 - 26 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1680
Abstract
The effect of bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion (BEAD) on the methanogenic performance of brewery wastewater at different organic loading rates (OLRs) was investigated and compared to conventional anaerobic digestion. A continuous BEAD reactor was used to treat brewery wastewater at different OLRs of 2, [...] Read more.
The effect of bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion (BEAD) on the methanogenic performance of brewery wastewater at different organic loading rates (OLRs) was investigated and compared to conventional anaerobic digestion. A continuous BEAD reactor was used to treat brewery wastewater at different OLRs of 2, 4, 8, 16, and 20 g COD/L.d. The experimental results showed that the methane production was gradually increased from 0.48 L/L.d at an OLR of 2 g COD/L.d to 5.64 L/L.d at an OLR of 20 g COD/L.d. The methane production of the BEAD system was significantly higher than that of the conventional anaerobic reactor, indicating that BEAD has a better treatment effect for brewery wastewater. The performance of the conventional anaerobic reactor was significantly reduced especially at an OLR of 16 g COD/L.d, while the BEAD system could withstand a higher OLR. Bioelectrochemical systems provide a completely new platform for the anaerobic treatment of brewery wastewater and greatly improve the operation of anaerobic processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies)
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