Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is a term that encompasses a group of novel technologies able to interconvert electrical energy and chemical energy by means of a bioelectroactive biofilm. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems, which branch off from BESs, are able to convert CO<sub>2</s...
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MDPI AG
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/17/3297 |
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| author | Raúl Mateos Ana Sotres Raúl M. Alonso Antonio Morán Adrián Escapa |
| author_facet | Raúl Mateos Ana Sotres Raúl M. Alonso Antonio Morán Adrián Escapa |
| author_sort | Raúl Mateos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is a term that encompasses a group of novel technologies able to interconvert electrical energy and chemical energy by means of a bioelectroactive biofilm. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems, which branch off from BESs, are able to convert CO<sub>2</sub> into valuable organic chemicals and fuels. This study demonstrates that CO<sub>2</sub> reduction in MES systems can be enhanced by enriching the inoculum and improving CO<sub>2</sub> availability to the biofilm. The proposed system is proven to be a repetitive, efficient, and selective way of consuming CO<sub>2</sub> for the production of acetic acid, showing cathodic efficiencies of over 55% and CO<sub>2</sub> conversions of over 80%. Continuous recirculation of the gas headspace through the catholyte allowed for a 44% improvement in performance, achieving CO<sub>2</sub> fixation rates of 171 mL CO<sub>2</sub> L<sup>−1</sup>·d<sup>−1</sup>, a maximum daily acetate production rate of 261 mg HAc·L<sup>−1</sup>·d<sup>−1</sup>, and a maximum acetate titer of 1957 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>. High-throughput sequencing revealed that CO<sub>2</sub> reduction was mainly driven by a mixed-culture biocathode, in which <i>Sporomusa</i> and <i>Clostridium</i>, both bioelectrochemical acetogenic bacteria, were identified together with other species such as <i>Desulfovibrio</i>, <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Arcobacter</i>, <i>Acinetobacter</i> or <i>Sulfurospirillum</i>, which are usually found in cathodic biofilms. Moreover, results suggest that these communities are responsible of maintaining a stable reactor performance. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:06:03Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-1455ea5ec9c74ddaa0613787884c31252022-12-22T04:10:20ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732019-08-011217329710.3390/en12173297en12173297Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas RecirculationRaúl Mateos0Ana Sotres1Raúl M. Alonso2Antonio Morán3Adrián Escapa4Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, SpainChemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, SpainChemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, SpainChemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, SpainChemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, SpainBioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is a term that encompasses a group of novel technologies able to interconvert electrical energy and chemical energy by means of a bioelectroactive biofilm. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems, which branch off from BESs, are able to convert CO<sub>2</sub> into valuable organic chemicals and fuels. This study demonstrates that CO<sub>2</sub> reduction in MES systems can be enhanced by enriching the inoculum and improving CO<sub>2</sub> availability to the biofilm. The proposed system is proven to be a repetitive, efficient, and selective way of consuming CO<sub>2</sub> for the production of acetic acid, showing cathodic efficiencies of over 55% and CO<sub>2</sub> conversions of over 80%. Continuous recirculation of the gas headspace through the catholyte allowed for a 44% improvement in performance, achieving CO<sub>2</sub> fixation rates of 171 mL CO<sub>2</sub> L<sup>−1</sup>·d<sup>−1</sup>, a maximum daily acetate production rate of 261 mg HAc·L<sup>−1</sup>·d<sup>−1</sup>, and a maximum acetate titer of 1957 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>. High-throughput sequencing revealed that CO<sub>2</sub> reduction was mainly driven by a mixed-culture biocathode, in which <i>Sporomusa</i> and <i>Clostridium</i>, both bioelectrochemical acetogenic bacteria, were identified together with other species such as <i>Desulfovibrio</i>, <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Arcobacter</i>, <i>Acinetobacter</i> or <i>Sulfurospirillum</i>, which are usually found in cathodic biofilms. Moreover, results suggest that these communities are responsible of maintaining a stable reactor performance.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/17/3297acetate productionCO<sub>2</sub> valorizationmicrobial electrosynthesis (MES)core microbiomemixed-culture biocathode |
| spellingShingle | Raúl Mateos Ana Sotres Raúl M. Alonso Antonio Morán Adrián Escapa Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation Energies acetate production CO<sub>2</sub> valorization microbial electrosynthesis (MES) core microbiome mixed-culture biocathode |
| title | Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation |
| title_full | Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation |
| title_short | Enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion to Acetate through Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) by Continuous Headspace Gas Recirculation |
| title_sort | enhanced co sub 2 sub conversion to acetate through microbial electrosynthesis mes by continuous headspace gas recirculation |
| topic | acetate production CO<sub>2</sub> valorization microbial electrosynthesis (MES) core microbiome mixed-culture biocathode |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/17/3297 |
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