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Efficient Removal of Metolachlor and Bacterial Community of Biofilm in Bioelectrochemical Reactors

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Abstract

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) provides an inexhaustible electron acceptor to generate current and enhance the degradation of organic compounds. In MFCs with metolachlor as the sole carbon source, the degradation efficiency accelerated by 98%, with 61–76% of enhancement for the degradates, ethane sulfonic acid and oxanilic acid, respectively. According to quantifying primary metabolites of deschloro and metolachlor-2-hydroxyas, dechlorination and alcoholization were deemed as antecedent steps of metolachlor bioelectrochemical degradation. The energy recovery was infeasible by sole addition of metolachlor (at 13 ± 4 °C from equivalent weight of 0.224 mg). In MFCs with metolachlor and sodium acetate as the concomitant carbon sources, the electricity generation recovered to a level comparable to the controls, instead of increasing the removal efficiency of metolachlor. These results suggest that a low-efficiently direct electron transfer occurred between electricigens and metolachlor degraders. The Illumina sequencing showed that species of Paracoccus and Aquamicrobium played a potential degradation effect, while Comamonas sp. replaced Geobacter sp. as the predominant electricigen after addition of metolachlor. This study demonstrates that MFCs could be used as a promising alternative for treatment of chloroacetanilide herbicide contaminated wastewaters by means of a rapidly established active bacterial community.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFD0800704), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41601536 and 31500425), the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin city of China (No. 16JCQNJC08800), the Opening Foundation of Ministry of Education of China Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (2017-05), and the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs / Key Laboratory of Original Agro-Environmental Pollution Prevention and Control, MARA / Tianjin Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment and Agro-Product Safety, Tianjin, 300191, China

    Xiaojing Li, Xiaolin Zhang, Xiaodong Zhao, Liping Weng & Yongtao Li

  2. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China

    Binbin Yu

  3. College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Yongtao Li

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  1. Xiaojing Li
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Correspondence to Yongtao Li.

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Highlight

• The removal efficiency of metolachlor enhanced by 98% in MFCs.

• Contents of the degradates MESA and MOA were 61–76% lower than controls.

• The dechlorination was the antecedent step by quantifying primary metabolites.

• Species of Paracoccus and Aquamicrobium played a potential degradation effect.

• Comamonas instead of Geobacter was responsible for the electricity generation.

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Li, X., Zhang, X., Zhao, X. et al. Efficient Removal of Metolachlor and Bacterial Community of Biofilm in Bioelectrochemical Reactors. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 189, 384–395 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-019-03014-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-019-03014-0

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