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Microbial community differences between propionate-fed microbial fuel cell systems under open and closed circuit conditions

  • Biotechnological Products and Process Engineering
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Abstract

We report the electrochemical characterization and microbial community analysis of closed circuit microbial fuel cells (CC-MFCs) and open circuit (OC) cells continuously fed with propionate as substrate. Differences in power output between MFCs correlated with their polarization behavior, which is related to the maturation of the anodophilic communities. The microbial communities residing in the biofilm growing on the electrode, biofouled cation-exchange membrane and anodic chamber liquor of OC-and CC-MFCs were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism screening of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. The results show that the CC-MFC anode was enriched in several microorganisms related to known electrochemically active and dissimilatory Fe(III) reducing bacteria, mostly from the Geobacter spp., to the detriment of Bacteroidetes abundant in the OC-MFC anode. The results also evidenced the lack of a specific pelagic community in the liquor sample. The biofilm growing on the cation-exchange membrane of the CC-MFC was found to be composed of a low-diversity community dominated by two microaerophilic species of the Achromobacter and Azovibrio genus.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from Doyak (previously, the NRL Program, R0A-2008-000-20088-0) funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of the Korean government (MEST), and the United Nations University and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Joint Program.

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Author notes

  1. Daniel Aguirre de Cárcer

    Present address: Queensland Biosciences Precinct, CSIRO Australia, 306 Carmody Road, Brisbane, Queensland, 4067, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), 261 Cheomdan-gwagiro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-712, South Korea

    Phuc Thi Ha & In Seop Chang

  2. International Environmental Research Centre, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 500-712, South Korea

    Daniel Aguirre de Cárcer

  3. Energy & Environmental Engineering Division, National Institute of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, Suwon, 441-707, South Korea

    Jae Kyung Jang

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  1. Daniel Aguirre de Cárcer
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  2. Phuc Thi Ha
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  4. In Seop Chang
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Correspondence to In Seop Chang.

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de Cárcer, D.A., Ha, P.T., Jang, J.K. et al. Microbial community differences between propionate-fed microbial fuel cell systems under open and closed circuit conditions. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 89, 605–612 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2903-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2903-x

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