Evolving Microbial Communities in Cellulose-Fed Microbial Fuel Cell

Renata Toczyłowska-Mamińska, Karolina Szymona, Patryk Król, Karol Gliniewicz, Katarzyna Pielech-Przybylska, Monika Kloch and Bruce E. Logan
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Renata Toczyłowska-Mamińska: Faculty of Wood Technology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—WULS, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Karolina Szymona: Faculty of Wood Technology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—WULS, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Patryk Król: Faculty of Wood Technology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—WULS, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Karol Gliniewicz: Institute of Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843, USA
Katarzyna Pielech-Przybylska: Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, 171/173 Wólczanska, 90-924 Łódź, Poland
Monika Kloch: Faculty of Wood Technology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—WULS, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Bruce E. Logan: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: The abundance of cellulosic wastes make them attractive source of energy for producing electricity in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, electricity production from cellulose requires obligate anaerobes that can degrade cellulose and transfer electrons to the electrode (exoelectrogens), and thus most previous MFC studies have been conducted using two-chamber systems to avoid oxygen contamination of the anode. Single-chamber, air-cathode MFCs typically produce higher power densities than aqueous catholyte MFCs and avoid energy input for the cathodic reaction. To better understand the bacterial communities that evolve in single-chamber air-cathode MFCs fed cellulose, we examined the changes in the bacterial consortium in an MFC fed cellulose over time. The most predominant bacteria shown to be capable electron generation was Firmicutes , with the fermenters decomposing cellulose Bacteroidetes . The main genera developed after extended operation of the cellulose-fed MFC were cellulolytic strains, fermenters and electrogens that included: Parabacteroides , Proteiniphilum , Catonella and Clostridium . These results demonstrate that different communities evolve in air-cathode MFCs fed cellulose than the previous two-chamber reactors.

Keywords: microbial fuel cell; cellulose; microbial community changes; air-cathode microbial fuel cell (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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