Enhanced anammox-mediated nitrogen removal in bioelectrochemical systems at prolonged negative electrode potentials.

Bioelectrochemical anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) systems allow eco-friendly removal of nitrogen from reject wastewater coming from biogas processing as the anammox bacteria have previously shown to have c-type cytochromes acting in the extracellular electron transport (EET) mechanism between the bacteria and electrode. The anammoxosome compartment present in anammox bacteria features a highly curved membrane and contains tubular structures along with electron-dense particles that contain iron, which could enhance the process of EET and enhance nitrogen removal by properly applied potentials. In this study, nitrogen removal was investigated in the electrostimulated anammox nitrogen removal (EANR) cells operated comparatively at open circuit and at applied potentials of - 300 mV, - 500 mV, and - 700 mV vs.

Microbial growth and adhesion of Escherichia coli in elastomeric silicone foams with commonly used additives.

Silicone is often used in environments where water repellency is an advantage. Contact with water promotes the adhesion of microorganisms and biofilm formation. Depending on the application, this may increase the possibility of food poisoning and infections, the material's degrading appearance, and the likelihood of manufacturing defects.

Metabolism Control in 3D-Printed Living Materials Improves Fermentation.

The three-dimensional (3D) printing of cell-containing polymeric hydrogels creates living materials (LMs), offering a platform for developing innovative technologies in areas like biosensors and biomanufacturing. The polymer material properties of cross-linkable F127-bis-urethane methacrylate (F127-BUM) allow reproducible 3D printing and stability in physiological conditions, making it suitable for fabricating LMs. Though F127-BUM-based LMs permit diffusion of solute molecules like glucose and ethanol, it remains unknown whether these are permissible for oxygen, essential for respiration.

A New Direction in Microfluidics: Printed Porous Materials.

In this work, the feasibility of a novel direction for microfluidics is studied by demonstrating a set of new methods to fabricate microfluidic systems. Similarly to microfluidic paper-based analytical devices, porous materials are being used. However, alternative porous materials and different printing methods are used here to give the material the necessary pattern to act as a microfluidic system.

ANAMMOX-denitrification biomass in microbial fuel cell to enhance the electricity generation and nitrogen removal efficiency.

The inoculum biomass was collected from a pilot-scale (3 m process tank) nitritation-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) (deammonification moving bed biofilm (DeaMBBR)) reactor demonstrating the highest total nitrogen removal rate (TNRR) of 0.33 kg N m day. This biomass was used for inoculating the anodic chamber of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) to investigate the capacity of DeaMBBR biomass to act as an exo-electrogenic consortia.

Physical Confinement Impacts Cellular Phenotypes within Living Materials.

Additive manufacturing allows three-dimensional printing of polymeric materials together with cells, creating living materials for applications in biomedical research and biotechnology. However, an understanding of the cellular phenotype within living materials is lacking, which is a key limitation for their wider application. Herein, we present an approach to characterize the cellular phenotype within living materials.

Cell-Laden Hydrogels for Multikingdom 3D Printing.

Living materials are created through the embedding of live, whole cells into a matrix that can house and sustain the viability of the encapsulated cells. Through the immobilization of these cells, their bioactivity can be harnessed for applications such as bioreactors for the production of high-value chemicals. While the interest in living materials is growing, many existing materials lack robust structure and are difficult to pattern.

Mainstream-sidestream wastewater switching promotes anammox nitrogen removal rate in organic-rich, low-temperature streams.

The main issues with mainstream anammox application are loss of bacterial activity by low temperatures and by a high organic content of wastewater. We demonstrate a novel switching method between sidestream and mainstream wastewater. The wastewater flow was switched between sidestream (reject water at >22°C) and mainstream (municipal wastewater at 16.