Anode Surface Bioaugmentation Enhances Deterministic Biofilm Assembly in Microbial Fuel Cells.

ABSTRACT: Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) generate energy while aiding the biodegradation of waste through the activity of an electroactive mixed biofilm. Metabolic cooperation is essential for MFCs' efficiency, especially during early colonization. Thus, examining specific ecological processes that drive the assembly of anode biofilms is highly important for shortening startup times and improving MFC performance, making this technology cost-effective and sustainable. Here, we use metagenomics to show that bioaugmentation of the anode surface with a taxonomically defined electroactive consortium, dominated by Desulfuromonas, resulted in an extremely rapid current density generation. Conversely, the untreated anode surface resulted in a highly stochastic and slower biofilm assembly. Remarkably, an

SUBMITTER: Yanuka-Golub K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8092319 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature