The authors acknowledge funding by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office through a contract from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Project #21263, and by the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program via cooperative research agreement W9132T-16-2-0014 through the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

Electroactive microorganisms in bioelectrochemical systems

Microbial extracellular electron transfer and strategies for engineering electroactive microorganisms.

Microbial consortia are a promising alternative to monocultures of genetically modified microorganisms for complex biotransformations. We developed a versatile consortium-based strategy for the direct conversion of lignocellulose to short-chain fatty acids, which included the funneling of the lignocellulosic carbohydrates to lactate as a central intermediate in engineered food chains. A spatial niche enabled in situ cellulolytic enzyme production by an aerobic fungus next to facultative anaerobic lactic acid bacteria and the product-forming anaerobes. Clostridium tyrobutyricum, Veillonella criceti, or Megasphaera elsdenii were integrated into the lactate platform to produce 196 kilograms of butyric acid per metric ton of beechwood. The lactate platform demonstrates the benefits of mixed cultures, such as their modularity and their ability to convert complex substrates into valuable biochemicals.

/pdf/a-heterogeneous-microbial-consortium-producing-short-chain-1tx9lcjigz.pdf

A heterogeneous microbial consortium producing short-chain fatty acids from lignocellulose

Biotechnological potential and applications of microbial consortia.

Electrochemically active bacteria can transport their metabolically generated electrons to anodes, or accept electrons from cathodes to synthesize high-value chemicals and fuels, via a process known as extracellular electron transfer (EET). Harnessing of this microbial EET process has led to the development of microbial bio-electrochemical systems (BESs), which can achieve the interconversion of electrical and chemical energy and enable electricity generation, hydrogen production, electrosynthesis, wastewater treatment, desalination, water and soil remediation, and sensing. Here, the focus is on the current understanding of the microbial EET process occurring at both the bacteria-electrode interface and the biotic interface, as well as some attempts to improve the EET by using various nanomaterials. The behavior of nanomaterials in different EET routes and their influence on the performance of BESs are described. The inherent mechanisms will guide rational design of EET-related materials and lead to a better understanding of EET mechanisms.

Nanomaterials Facilitating Microbial Extracellular Electron Transfer at Interfaces.

Design and construction of synthetic microbial consortia is a promising strategy to enhance the performance of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) and to facilitate practical applications in bioenergy production. According to the design principle of “division-of-labor”, we synthesized a three-species microbial consortium for power generation, consisting of engineered Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Shewanella oneidensis. In this consortium, E. coli digested glucose to produce lactate as a carbon source and an electron donor; B. subtilis produced riboflavin as an electron shuttle; and S. oneidensis served as the exoelectrogen to generate electricity. In return, S. oneidensis oxidized lactate to acetate, which fed E. coli and B. subtilis as the carbon source. Thus, the three species formed a cross-feeding microbial consortium, which performed “better together” for power generation. As a result, glucose (11 mM, total 0.28 g) was converted to electricity for more than 15 days with high energy conversion efficiency (up to 55.7%). The microbial composition and electricity output were stable throughout the operation cycle. Furthermore, the consortium exhibited highly functional robustness to fluctuations in the initial inoculation ratio of the three strains. This system provided new insight into the rational design of more efficient, stable, and robust synthetic microbial consortia applicable in bioenergy and environmental bioremediation.

A three-species microbial consortium for power generation

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A three-species microbial consortium for power generation