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Microbial Electrosynthesis
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Microbial Electrosynthesis

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2019) | Viewed by 13118

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jung Rae Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
Interests: biorefinery for bioenergy and platform chemicals; bioenergy production: biogas and bioelectricity, and synthesis of platform chemicals; metabolic engineering for electrochemically active microorganisms; novel microbially inspired useful resource recovery; environmental biotechnology and biochemical engineering; bioelectrochemical systems: enzyme- and whole-cell-based biosensors; design of environmentally sustainable systems and bioprocesses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid growth of global energy consumption and simultaneous greenhouse gas discharge requires more sustainable CO2 reduction/re-utilization. In this respect, microbial electrosynthesis—an electrochemically assisted CO2 reduction method—has been highlighted for biological C1 gas (CO2, CO and CH4) conversion and simultaneous intermediary chemicals. The emerging microbial electrosynthesis technology has also contributed to both academia and industry through the investigation of interaction between microbes and materials, and breakthrough technologies for sustainable energy development, enabling cross- and multi-disciplinary approaches of microbiology, biotechnology, electrochemistry, and bioprocess engineering.

Thus, to further spread the recent findings and help in the implementation of these technologies, this Special Issue, entitled “Microbial Electrosynthesis”, was proposed for the international journal Energies, an SCIE journal (2017 IF = 2.676). This Special Issue mainly covers original research and studies related to the above-mentioned topic, including, but not limited to, microbial electrosynthesis, microbial electrochemistry, useful resource recovery, system and process design, and implementation of bioelectrochemical systems. Papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer-review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

I am writing to invite you to submit your original work to this Special Issue. I am looking forward to receiving your outstanding research outcome.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jung Rae Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Microbial electrosynthesis for CO2 reduction
  • Bioelectrochemical methane production
  • Bioelectrochemical systems for useful product formation
  • Microbial electrochemistry
  • Useful resource recovery by bioelectrochemical systems
  • System and process design of microbial electrosynthesis/bioelectrochemical systems
  • Implementation of microbial electrosynthesis/bioelectrochemical systems

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4126 KiB  
Article
Bioelectrosynthetic Conversion of CO2 Using Different Redox Mediators: Electron and Carbon Balances in a Bioelectrochemical System
by Shuwei Li, Young Eun Song, Jiyun Baek, Hyeon Sung Im, Mutyala Sakuntala, Minsoo Kim, Chulhwan Park, Booki Min and Jung Rae Kim
Energies 2020, 13(10), 2572; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13102572 - 19 May 2020
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4260
Abstract
Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems can convert CO2 to acetate and other value-added chemicals using electricity as the reducing power. Several electrochemically active redox mediators can enhance interfacial electron transport between bacteria and the electrode in MES systems. In this study, different redox [...] Read more.
Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems can convert CO2 to acetate and other value-added chemicals using electricity as the reducing power. Several electrochemically active redox mediators can enhance interfacial electron transport between bacteria and the electrode in MES systems. In this study, different redox mediators, such as neutral red (NR), 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (HNQ), and hydroquinone (HQ), were compared to facilitate an MES-based CO2 reduction reaction on the cathode. The mediators, NR and HNQ, improved acetate production from CO2 (165 mM and 161 mM, respectively) compared to the control (without a mediator = 149 mM), whereas HQ showed lower acetate production (115 mM). On the other hand, when mediators were used, the electron and carbon recovery efficiency decreased because of the presence of bioelectrochemical reduction pathways other than acetate production. Cyclic voltammetry of an MES with such mediators revealed CO2 reduction to acetate on the cathode surface. These results suggest that the addition of mediators to MES can improve CO2 conversion to acetate with further optimization in an operating strategy of electrosynthesis processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Electrosynthesis)
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17 pages, 1956 KiB  
Article
Contribution of Yeast Extract, Activated Carbon, and an Electrostatic Field to Interspecies Electron Transfer for the Bioelectrochemical Conversion of Coal to Methane
by Dong-Mei Piao, Young-Chae Song, Gyung-Geun Oh, Dong-Hoon Kim and Byung-Uk Bae
Energies 2019, 12(21), 4051; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214051 - 24 Oct 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2966
Abstract
The bioelectrochemical conversion of coal to methane was investigated in an anaerobic batch reactor containing yeast extract and activated carbon. In anaerobic degradation of coal, yeast extract was a good stimulant for the growth of anaerobic microorganisms, and activated carbon played a positive [...] Read more.
The bioelectrochemical conversion of coal to methane was investigated in an anaerobic batch reactor containing yeast extract and activated carbon. In anaerobic degradation of coal, yeast extract was a good stimulant for the growth of anaerobic microorganisms, and activated carbon played a positive role. An electrostatic field of 0.67 V/cm significantly improved methane production from coal by promoting direct and mediated interspecies electron transfers between exoelectrogenic bacteria and electrotrophic methanogenic archaea. However, the accumulation of coal degradation intermediates gradually repressed the conversion of coal to methane, and the methane yield of coal was only 31.2 mL/g lignite, indicating that the intermediates were not completely converted to methane. By supplementing yeast extract and seed sludge into the anaerobic reactor, the intermediate residue could be further converted to methane under an electrostatic field of 0.67 V/cm, and the total methane yield of coal increased to 98.0 mL/g lignite. The repression of the intermediates to the conversion of coal to methane was a kind of irreversible substrate inhibition. The irreversible substrate inhibition in the conversion of coal to methane could be attenuated under the electrostatic field of 0.67 V/cm by ensuring sufficient biomass through biostimulation or bioaugmentation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Electrosynthesis)
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13 pages, 4141 KiB  
Article
Community Structure Analyses of Anodic Biofilms in a Bioelectrochemical System Combined with an Aerobic Reactor
by Qiaochu Liang, Takahiro Yamashita, Norihisa Matsuura, Ryoko Yamamoto-Ikemoto and Hiroshi Yokoyama
Energies 2019, 12(19), 3643; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193643 - 24 Sep 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1839
Abstract
Bioelectrochemical system (BES)-based reactors have a limited range of use, especially in aerobic conditions, because these systems usually produce current from exoelectrogenic bacteria that are strictly anaerobic. However, some mixed cultures of bacteria in aerobic reactors can form surface biofilms that may produce [...] Read more.
Bioelectrochemical system (BES)-based reactors have a limited range of use, especially in aerobic conditions, because these systems usually produce current from exoelectrogenic bacteria that are strictly anaerobic. However, some mixed cultures of bacteria in aerobic reactors can form surface biofilms that may produce anaerobic conditions suitable for exoelectrogenic bacteria to thrive. In this study, we combined a BES with an aerobic trickling filter (TF) reactor for wastewater treatment and found that the BES-TF setup could produce electricity with a coulombic efficiency of up to 15% from artificial wastewater, even under aerobic conditions. The microbial communities within biofilms formed at the anodes of BES-TF reactors were investigated using high throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Efficiency of reduction in chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen content of wastewater using this system was >97%. Bacterial community analysis showed that exoelectrogenic bacteria belonging to the genera Geobacter and Desulfuromonas were dominant within the biofilm coating the anode, whereas aerobic bacteria from the family Rhodocyclaceae were abundant on the surface of the biofilm. Based on our observations, we suggest that BES-TF reactors with biofilms containing aerobic bacteria and anaerobic exoelectrogenic bacteria on the anodes can function in aerobic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Electrosynthesis)
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13 pages, 3157 KiB  
Article
Enhanced CO2 Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation
by Raúl Mateos, Ana Sotres, Raúl M. Alonso, Antonio Morán and Adrián Escapa
Energies 2019, 12(17), 3297; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12173297 - 27 Aug 2019
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 3568
Abstract
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is a term that encompasses a group of novel technologies able to interconvert electrical energy and chemical energy by means of a bioelectroactive biofilm. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems, which branch off from BESs, are able to convert CO2 into [...] Read more.
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is a term that encompasses a group of novel technologies able to interconvert electrical energy and chemical energy by means of a bioelectroactive biofilm. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems, which branch off from BESs, are able to convert CO2 into valuable organic chemicals and fuels. This study demonstrates that CO2 reduction in MES systems can be enhanced by enriching the inoculum and improving CO2 availability to the biofilm. The proposed system is proven to be a repetitive, efficient, and selective way of consuming CO2 for the production of acetic acid, showing cathodic efficiencies of over 55% and CO2 conversions of over 80%. Continuous recirculation of the gas headspace through the catholyte allowed for a 44% improvement in performance, achieving CO2 fixation rates of 171 mL CO2 L−1·d−1, a maximum daily acetate production rate of 261 mg HAc·L−1·d−1, and a maximum acetate titer of 1957 mg·L−1. High-throughput sequencing revealed that CO2 reduction was mainly driven by a mixed-culture biocathode, in which Sporomusa and Clostridium, both bioelectrochemical acetogenic bacteria, were identified together with other species such as Desulfovibrio, Pseudomonas, Arcobacter, Acinetobacter or Sulfurospirillum, which are usually found in cathodic biofilms. Moreover, results suggest that these communities are responsible of maintaining a stable reactor performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Electrosynthesis)
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