Developing a plant microbial fuel cell by planting water spinach in a hanging-submerged plant pot system.

To plant crops (especially dry crops such as water spinach) with concomitant electricity recovery, a hanging-submerged-plant-pot system (HSPP) is developed. The HSPP consists of a soil pot (anodic) partially submerged under the water surface of a cathode tank. The microbial communities changed with conditions were also investigated.

Investigating the Extracellular-Electron-Transfer Mechanisms and Kinetics of NTOU1 Reducing Graphene Oxide via Lactate Metabolism.

Microbial graphene oxide reduction is a developing method that serves to reduce both production costs and environmental impact in the synthesis of graphene. This study demonstrates microbial graphene oxide reduction using NTOU1 under neutral and mild conditions (pH = 7, 35 °C, and 1 atm). Graphene oxide (GO) prepared via the modified Hummers' method is used as the sole solid electron acceptor, and the characteristics of reduced GO (rGO) are investigated.

Developing a novel computer numerical control-fabricated laminar-flow microfluidic microbial fuel cells as the bioelectrochemical sensor and power source: Enrichment, operation, and Cr(VI) detection.

By introducing the computer numerical control (CNC) engraving technology, this study fabricated the reusable CNC-fabricated membrane-less laminar flow microfluidic MFC (LMMFC) to develop the bioelectrochemical sensor and power source simultaneously. To verify its applicability, optimization of electroactive bacteria (EAB) cultivation and laminar-flow formation, performance of power density and long-term operation, and detection of Cr(VI) were evaluated. Results of EAB optimization showed under lower external resistance, shorter start-up time of current production, larger oxidation current, denser microbial distribution, and a higher percentage of Geobacter spp.

Long-term operation of bio-catalyzed cathodes within continuous flow membrane-less microbial fuel cells.

Microorganisms were observed to facilitate cathodic oxygen reduction and enhance cathode performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, the long-term activity and stability of bio-catalyzed cathode needs to be explored. This study evaluated the long-term performance of bio-catalyzed cathode and iron(II) phthalocyanine (FePc)-catalyzed cathode MFCs through effluent water quality, electricity production and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis under different scenarios, including conventional wastewater treatment and energy harvesting using a power management system (PMS).

Chemical Characteristics of Electron Shuttles Affect Extracellular Electron Transfer: NTOU1 Simultaneously Exploiting Acetate and Mediators.

In the present study, we found that our isolate NTOU1 is able to degrade acetate under anaerobic condition with concomitant implementation of extracellular electron transfer (EET). With +0.63 V (vs.

Using metabolic charge production in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (Q) to evaluate the extracellular-electron-transfer performances of Shewanella spp.

Using an electrochemical cell equipped with carbon felt electrodes (poised at +0.63 V vs. SHE), the current production capabilities of two Shewanella strains-NTOU1 and KR-12-were examined under various conditions with lactate as an electron donor.

Amylolysis is predominated by cell-surface-bound hydrolase during anaerobic fermentation under mesophilic conditions.

While knowing the amylolysis mechanism is important to effectively decompose corn starch fed into an anaerobic digestor, the objective of this study was to detect the activities and locations of α-amylase in a continuous reactor and batch cultures. In the continuous reactor operated at 35 °C, the greatest cell-bound α-amylase activity was found to be 4.7 CU mL at hydraulic retention time (HRT) = 9 h, while the greatest volumetric hydrogen production rate (r) was observed at HRT = 3 h as 61 mmol L day.

A metabolic-activity-detecting approach to life detection: Restoring a chemostat from stop-feeding using a rapid bioactivity assay.

A mediated glassy carbon electrode covered by a thin-film polyviologen was used in the present study to rapidly detect bioactivity in a mixed-culture chemostat (dominated by Clostridium sp.). With the addition of 1mM hexacyanoferrate and 9mM glucose, the current increasing rate (dI/dt) measured under a poised potential of 500mV (vs.

Nanoelectronic Investigation Reveals the Electrochemical Basis of Electrical Conductivity in Shewanella and Geobacter.

The electrical conductivity measured in Shewanella and Geobacter spp. is an intriguing physical property that is the fundamental basis for possible extracellular electron transport (EET) pathways. There is considerable debate regarding the origins of the electrical conductivity reported in these microbial cellular structures, which is essential for deciphering the EET mechanism.

Enriching distinctive microbial communities from marine sediments via an electrochemical-sulfide-oxidizing process on carbon electrodes.

Sulfide is a common product of marine anaerobic respiration, and a potent reactant biologically and geochemically. Here we demonstrate the impact on microbial communities with the removal of sulfide via electrochemical methods. The use of differential pulse voltammetry revealed that the oxidation of soluble sulfide was seen at +30 mV (vs.

Strategy of controlling the volumetric loading rate to promote hydrogen-production performance in a mesophilic-kitchen-waste fermentor and the microbial ecology analyses.

The kitchen waste was chosen as a high solid (42 gL(-1) of volatile suspended solid, VSS) and high organic (107 gL(-1) of chemical oxygen demand) feedstock for operating a 3-L mesophilic fermentor. The greatest specific hydrogen production rate ( r(H2) was observed in Stage 3 as 3.4 L-H2 L(-1) day(-1) with a volumetric loading rate (VLR) of 100 g-CODL(-1) day(-1); the highest hydrogen yield was observed in Stage 2 as 96 mL-H2 g(-1) of influent VSS with a VLR of 46 g-COD L(-1) day(-1).

Effects of oxygen on Shewanella decolorationis NTOU1 electron transfer to carbon-felt electrodes.

To clarify the major factor caused by oxygen-enhancing charge production of Shewanella decolorationis NTOU1 towards a polarized anode, a series of experimental runs (i.e., with/without ambient air flushing and with/without ammonia addition as nitrogen source) were conducted in this study.