Simultaneous cellulose degradation and electricity production by Enterobacter cloacae in a microbial fuel cell.

ABSTRACT: Electricity can be directly generated by bacteria in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) from many different biodegradable substrates. When cellulose is used as the substrate, electricity generation requires a microbial community with both cellulolytic and exoelectrogenic activities. Cellulose degradation with electricity production by a pure culture has not been previously demonstrated without addition of an exogenous mediator. Using a specially designed U-tube MFC, we enriched a consortium of exoelectrogenic bacteria capable of using cellulose as the sole electron donor. After 19 dilution-to-extinction serial transfers of the consortium, 16S rRNA gene-based community analysis using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and band sequencing revealed that the dominant bacterium was Enterobacter c

SUBMITTER: Rezaei F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2687291 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature