Project description:Bio-augmentation could be a promising strategy to improve processes for treatment and resource recovery from wastewater. In this study, the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis was co-cultured with the microbial communities present in wastewater samples with high concentrations of nitrate or ammonium. Glucose supplementation (1%) was used to boost biomass growth in all wastewater samples. In anaerobic conditions, the indigenous microbial community bio-augmented with B. subtilis was able to rapidly remove nitrate from wastewater. In these conditions, B. subtilis overexpressed nitrogen assimilatory and respiratory genes including NasD, NasE, NarG, NarH, and NarI, which arguably accounted for the observed boost in denitrification. Next, we attempted to use the the ammonium- and nitrate-enriched wastewater samples bio-augmented with B. subtilis in the cathodic compartment of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) operated in anaerobic condition. B. subtilis only had low relative abundance in the microbial community, but bio-augmentation promoted the growth of Clostridium butyricum and C. beijerinckii, which became the dominant species. Both bio-augmentation with B. subtilis and electrical current from the cathode in the BES promoted butyrate production during fermentation of glucose. A concentration of 3.4 g/L butyrate was reached with a combination of cathodic current and bio-augmentation in ammonium-enriched wastewater. With nitrate-enriched wastewater, the BES effectively removed nitrate reaching 3.2 mg/L after 48 h. In addition, 3.9 g/L butyrate was produced. We propose that bio-augmentation of wastewater with B. subtilis in combination with bioelectrochemical processes could both boost denitrification in nitrate-containing wastewater and enable commercial production of butyrate from carbohydrate- containing wastewater, e.g. dairy industry discharges. These results suggest that B. subtilis bio-augmentation in our BES promotes simultaneous wastewater treatment and butyrate production.
2020-05-15 | GSE150480 | GEO
Project description:Anode and membrane biofouling microbial fuel cell samples
Project description:Human BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells were exposed directly at the air-liquid interphase towards exhaust gas and particles of a ship engine. The goal was to compare the responses towards different fuel combustions. The engine run either on diesel fuel (DF) or on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO).
2015-02-01 | GSE63962 | GEO
Project description:Microbial consortium enriched at the cathode of a solar microbial fuel cell
Project description:Lysinibacillus varians GY32 is a filamentous bacteria that can generate electricity in microbial fuel cells. To find potential genes participating in the electron transfer to electrode of Lysinibacillus varians GY32, we compared the gene expression profiles of this bacteria with yeast extract as electron donor and two electron acceptors, i.e. oxygen and electrode in microbial fuel cells. The results showed that several cytochrome c genes might play specific roles in the extracellular electron transfer to electrode in this strain.
Project description:Lysinibacillus varians GY32 is a filamentous bacteria that can generate electricity in microbial fuel cells. To find potential genes participating in the electron transfer to electrode of Lysinibacillus varians GY32, we compared the gene expression profiles of this bacteria with acetate as electron donor and two electron acceptors, i.e. oxygen and electrode in microbial fuel cells. The results showed that several cytochrome c genes might play specific roles in the extracellular electron transfer to electrode in this strain.
Project description:Human BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells were exposed directly at the air-liquid interphase towards exhaust gas and particles of a ship engine. The goal was to compare the responses towards different fuel combustions. The engine run either on diesel fuel (DF) or on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). The lung cells were exposed 3 times to each combustion aerosol (DF or HFO). The duration of the exposure was 4h. The cells were seeded into transwell-inserts 24h before exposure. Within each exposure 3 transwell-inserts were exposed to the complete aerosol and 3 transwell-inserts were exposed to the filtered aerosol. Effects of the complete aerosol were referenced against the filtered aerosol to determine the effects of the aerosol particles.