Sokhee Jung

Comparison of anode bacterial communities and performance in microbial fuel cells with different electron donors

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) harness the electrochemical activity of certain microbes for the production of electricity from reduced compounds. Characterizations of MFC anode biofilms have collectively shown very diverse microbial communities, raising ecological questions about competition and community succession within these anode-reducing communities. Three sets of triplicate, two-chamber MFCs inoculated with anaerobic sludge and differing in energy sources (acetate, lactate, and glucose) were operated to explore these questions. Based on 16S rDNA-targeted denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), all anode communities contained sequences closely affiliated with Geobacter sulfurreducens (>99% similarity) and an uncultured bacterium clone in the Bacteroidetes class (99% similarity). Various other Geobacter-like sequences were also enriched in most of the anode biofilms. While the anode communities in replicate reactors for each substrate generally converged to a reproducible community, there were some variations in the relative distribution of these putative anode-reducing Geobacter-like strains. Firmicutes were found only in glucose-fed MFCs, presumably serving the roles of converting complex carbon into simple molecules and scavenging oxygen. The maximum current density in these systems was negatively correlated with internal resistance variations among replicate reactors and, likely, was only minimally affected by anode community differences in these two-chamber MFCs with high internal resistance.

Influence of External Resistance on Electrogenesis, Methanogenesis, and Anode Prokaryotic Communities in Microbial Fuel Cells

ABSTRACT The external resistance (R ext) of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) regulates both the anode availability as an electron acceptor and the electron flux through the circuit. We evaluated the effects of R ext on MFCs using acetate or glucose. The average current densities (I) ranged from 40.5 mA/m2 (9,800 Ω) to 284.5 mA/m2 (150 Ω) for acetate-fed MFCs (acetate-fed reactors [ARs]), with a corresponding anode potential (E an) range of −188 to −4 mV (versus a standard hydrogen electrode [SHE]). For glucose-fed MFCs (glucose-fed reactors [GRs]), I ranged from 40.0 mA/m2 (9,800 Ω) to 273.0 mA/m2 (150 Ω), with a corresponding E an range of −189 to −7 mV. ARs produced higher Coulombic efficiencies and energy efficiencies than GRs over all tested R ext levels because of electron and potential losses from glucose fermentation. Biogas production accounted for 14 to 18% of electron flux in GRs but only 0 to 6% of that in ARs. GRs produced similar levels of methane, regardless of the R ext. However, total methane production in ARs increased as R ext increased, suggesting that E an might influence the competition for substrates between exoelectrogens and methanogens in ARs. An increase of R ext to 9,800 Ω significantly changed the anode bacterial communities for both ARs and GRs, while operating at 970 Ω and 150 Ω had little effect. Deltaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the major groups found in anode communities in ARs and GRs. Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were found only in ARs. Bacilli were abundant only in GRs. The anode-methanogenic communities were dominated by Methanosaetaceae, with significantly lower numbers of Methanomicrobiales. These results show that R ext affects not only the E an and current generation but also the anode biofilm community and methanogenesis.

Impedance Characteristics and Polarization Behavior of a Microbial Fuel Cell in Response to Short-Term Changes in Medium pH

pH oppositely influences anode and cathode performance in microbial fuel cells. The differential electrochemical effects at each electrode and the resultant full-cell performance were analyzed in medium pH from 6.0 to 8.0. Potentials changed -60 mV/pH for the anode and -68 mV/pH for the cathode, coincident with thermodynamic estimations. Open circuit voltage reached a maximum (741 mV) at pH 7, and maximum power density was highest (712 mW/m²) at pH 6.5 as the cathode performance improved at lower pH. Maximum current density increased and apparent half-saturation potential (E(KA)) decreased with increasing medium pH due to improved anode performance. An equivalent circuit model composed of two time constant processes accurately fit bioanode impedance data. One of these processes was consistently the rate-limiting step for acetate-oxidizing exoelectrogenesis, with its pH-varying charge transfer resistance R₂ ranging from 2- to 321-fold higher than the pH-independent charge transfer resistance R₁. The associated capacitance C₂ was 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than C₁. R₂ was lowest near E(KA) and increased by several orders of magnitude at anode potentials above E(KA), while R₁ was nearly stable. However, fits deviated slightly at potentials above E(KA) due to emerging impedance possibly associated with diffusion and excessive potential.

Assessment of microbial diversity bias associated with soil heterogeneity and sequencing resolution in pyrosequencing analyses

It is important to estimate the true microbial diversities accurately for a comparative microbial diversity analysis among various ecological settings in ecological models. Despite drastically increasing amounts of 16S rRNA gene targeting pyrosequencing data, sampling and data interpretation for comparative analysis have not yet been standardized. For more accurate bacterial diversity analyses, the influences of soil heterogeneity and sequence resolution on bacterial diversity estimates were investigated using pyrosequencing data of oak and pine forest soils with focus on the bacterial 16SrRNA gene. Soil bacterial community sets were phylogenetically clustered into two separate groups by forest type. Rarefaction curves showed that bacterial communities sequenced from the DNA mixtures and the DNAs of the soil mixtures hadmidsize richness compared with other samples. Richness and diversity estimates were highly variable depending on the sequence read numbers. Bacterial richness estimates (ACE, Chao 1 and Jack) of the forest soils had positive linear relationships with the sequence read number. Bacterial diversity estimates (NPShannon, Shannon and the inverse Simpson) of the forest soils were also positively correlated with the sequence read number. One-way ANOVA shows that sequence resolution significantly affected the a-diversity indices (P<0.05), but the soil heterogeneity did not (P>0.05). For an unbiased evaluation, richness and diversity estimates should be calculated and compared from subsets of the same size.

Pond Sediment Magnetite Grains Show a Distinctive Microbial Community

Formation of magnetite in anaerobic sediments is thought to be enhanced by the activities of iron-reducing bacteria. Geobacter has been implicated as playing a major role, as in culture its cells are often associated with extracellular magnetite grains. We studied the bacterial community associated with magnetite grains in sediment of a freshwater pond in South Korea. Magnetite was isolated from the sediment using a magnet. The magnetite-depleted fraction of sediment was also taken for comparison. DNA was extracted from each set of samples, followed by PCR for 16S bacterial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and HiSeq sequencing. The bacterial communities of the magnetite-enriched and magnetite-depleted fractions were significantly different. The enrichment of three abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) suggests that they may either be dependent upon the magnetite grain environment or may be playing a role in magnetite formation. The most abundant OTU in magnetite-enriched fractions was Geobacter, bolstering the case that this genus is important in magnetite formation in natural systems. Other major OTUs strongly associated with the magnetite-enriched fraction, rather than the magnetite-depleted fraction, include a Sulfuricella and a novel member of the Betaproteobacteria. The existence of distinct bacterial communities associated with particular mineral grain types may also be an example of niche separation and coexistence in sediments and soils, which cannot usually be detected due to difficulties in separating and concentrating minerals.

Denitrification Rates and Their Controlling Factors in Streams of the Han River Basin with Different Land-Use Patterns

Land-use patterns can affect various nutrient cycles in stream ecosystems, but little information is available about the effects of urban development on denitrification processes at the watershed scale. In the presented study, we investigated the controlling factors of denitrification rates within the streams of the Han River Basin, Korea, with different land-use patterns, in order to enhance the effectiveness of water resource management strategies. Ten watersheds were classified into three land-use patterns (forest, agriculture and urban) using satellite images and geographic information system techniques, and in-situ denitrification rates were determined using an acetylene blocking method. Additionally, sediment samples were collected from each stream to analyze denitrifier communities and abundance using molecular approaches. In-situ denitrification rates were found to be in the order of agricultural streams (289.6 mg N2O-N m−2 d−1) > urban streams (157.0 mg N2O-N m−2 d−1) > forested streams (41.9 mg N2O-N m−2 d−1). In contrast, the average quantity of denitrifying genes was the lowest in the urban streams. Genetic diversity of denitrifying genes was not affected by watershed land-use pattern, but exhibited stream-dependent pattern. More significance factors were involved in denitrification in the sites with higher denitrification rates. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that clay, dissolved organic carbon and water contents were the main factors controlling denitrification rate in the agricultural streams, while dissolved organic carbon was the main controlling factor in the urban streams. In contrast, temperature appeared to be the main controlling factor in the forested streams.

Effects of Wire-type and Mesh-type Anode Current Collectors on Performance and Electrochemistry of Microbial Fuel Cells

Carbon-based material is commonly used for anodes in MFCs, but its low conductivity often limits anodic performance. Application of corrosion-resistive current collector to carbon-based anode can be a promising strategy for increasing the anodic performance. In this study, it was hypothesized increasing metal current collector improved anodic performance. Two different carbon-felt anodes with titanium wires (CF-W) or stainless steel mesh (CF-M) as a current collector were tested in a single chamber MFC. In the short-term tests such as polarization and impedance tests, CF-M with the larger current collector area (21.7 cm2) had 33% higher maximum power (2311 mW/m2), 81% lower anodic resistance (3 Ω), and 92% lower anodic impedance (1.1 Ω). However, in the long-term tests, CF-W with the smaller current collector area (0.6 cm2) showed higher performance in power and current generation, COD removal, and CE (51%, 10%, 11%, and 5% higher, respectively) and produced 41% higher net current in cyclic voltagramm (20.0 mA vs. 14.2 mA). This result shows that larger current collector is advantageous in short-term performance and disadvantageous in long-term performance, because the larger current collector is good for current collection, but interferes with mass transfer and microbial growth.

Increased hydrazine during partial nitritation process in upflow air-lift reactor fed with supernatant of anaerobic digester effluent

The optimal balance of ammonium and nitrite is essential for successful operation of the subsequent anammox process. We conducted a partial nitritation experiment using an upflow air-lift reactor to provide operational parameters for achieving the optimal ratio of ammonium to nitrite, by feeding supernatant of anaerobic digester effluent, highnitrogen containing rejection water. Semi-continuous operation results show that HRT should be set between 15 and 17 hours to achieve the optimum ration of 1.3 of NO2-N/NH4-N. In the UAR, nitritation was the dominant reaction due to high concentration of ammonia and low biodegradable organics. The influent contained low concentrations of hydroxylamine and hydrazine. However, hydrazine increased during partial nitritation by ∼60–130% although there was no potential anammox activity in the reactor. The partial nitritation process successfully provided the ratio of nitrogen species for the anammox reaction, and relived the nitrite restraint on the anammox activity by increasing hydrazine concentration.