Combining biological denitrification and electricity generation in methane-powered microbial fuel cells

作     者：Linpeng Yu Eryi Zhang Lin Yang Shiqi Liu Christopher Rensing Shungui Zhou Linpeng Yu;Eryi Zhang;Lin Yang;Shiqi Liu;Christopher Rensing;Shungui Zhou

作者机构：Resources and EnvironmentFujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhou 350002China Cranfield UniversityCranfieldBedfordshire MK43 OALUK Biofuels InstituteSchool of Environment and Safety EngineeringJiangsu UniversityZhenjiang 212013China 

出 版 物：《Journal of Environmental Sciences》 (环境科学学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2023年第130卷第8期

页      面：212-222页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 0808[工学-电气工程] 07[理学] 08[工学] 0703[理学-化学] 0836[工学-生物工程] 0713[理学-生态学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42077284) the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province,China(No.2020J02015) the Fund for Outstanding Young Scientific Talent Cultivation Program of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University of China(No.XJQ201906). 

主　　题：Anaerobic methane oxidation Denitrification Microbial fuel cells Electricity generation Electroactive compounds Methanobacterium 

摘      要：Methane has been demonstrated to be a feasible substrate for electricity generation in microbial fuel cells(MFCs)and denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation(DAMO).However,these two processes were evaluated separately in previous studies and it has remained unknown whether methane is able to simultaneously drive these processes.Here we investigated the co-occurrence and performance of these two processes in the anodic chamber of MFCs.The results showed that methane successfully fueled both electrogenesis and denitrification.Importantly,the maximum nitrate removal rate was significantly enhanced from(1.4±0.8)to(18.4±1.2)mg N/(L·day)by an electrogenic process.In the presence of DAMO,the MFCs achieved a maximum voltage of 610 mV and a maximum power density of 143±12 mW/m^(2).Electrochemical analyses demonstrated that some redox substances(e.***.riboflavin)were likely involved in electrogenesis and also in the denitrification process.High-throughput sequencing indicated that the methanogen Methanobacterium,a close relative of Methanobacterium espanolae,catalyzed methane oxidation and cooperated with both exoelectrogens and denitrifiers(e.g.,Azoarcus).This work provides an effective strategy for improving DAMO in methane-powered MFCs,and suggests that methanogens and denitrifiers may jointly be able to provide an alternative to archaeal DAMO for methane-dependent denitrification.