Enhanced CO 2 Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation

Raúl Mateos, Ana Sotres, Raúl M. Alonso, Antonio Morán and Adrián Escapa
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Raúl Mateos: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Ana Sotres: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Raúl M. Alonso: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Antonio Morán: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Adrián Escapa: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-13

Abstract: Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is a term that encompasses a group of novel technologies able to interconvert electrical energy and chemical energy by means of a bioelectroactive biofilm. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems, which branch off from BESs, are able to convert CO 2 into valuable organic chemicals and fuels. This study demonstrates that CO 2 reduction in MES systems can be enhanced by enriching the inoculum and improving CO 2 availability to the biofilm. The proposed system is proven to be a repetitive, efficient, and selective way of consuming CO 2 for the production of acetic acid, showing cathodic efficiencies of over 55% and CO 2 conversions of over 80%. Continuous recirculation of the gas headspace through the catholyte allowed for a 44% improvement in performance, achieving CO 2 fixation rates of 171 mL CO 2 L −1 ·d −1 , a maximum daily acetate production rate of 261 mg HAc·L −1 ·d −1 , and a maximum acetate titer of 1957 mg·L −1 . High-throughput sequencing revealed that CO 2 reduction was mainly driven by a mixed-culture biocathode, in which Sporomusa and Clostridium , both bioelectrochemical acetogenic bacteria, were identified together with other species such as Desulfovibrio , Pseudomonas , Arcobacter , Acinetobacter or Sulfurospirillum , which are usually found in cathodic biofilms. Moreover, results suggest that these communities are responsible of maintaining a stable reactor performance.

Keywords: acetate production; CO 2 valorization; microbial electrosynthesis (MES); core microbiome; mixed-culture biocathode (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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