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Processes
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Advances of Microbial Processes in Bioelectrochemical Systems
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Advances of Microbial Processes in Bioelectrochemical Systems

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 5084

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Argyro Tsipa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, 75 Kallipoleos, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
2. Nireas International Water Research Centre, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
Interests: environmental biotechnology; biodegradation; bioremediation; gene and mRNA expression; molecular biology; transcriptomics; proteomics; mathematical modeling
Dr. Paola Grenni

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Water Research Institute, National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), 00010 Rome, Italy
Interests: microbial ecology; bacteria; microbiology; molecular biology; soil analysis; soil ecology; environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioelectrochemical system (BES) technology is a revolutionary new bioengineering approach in which chemical energy is converted to electrical energy. Thanks to the increasing demand for environmental-friendly and energy-saving processes, BES could be a useful green and sustainable tool. BES integrates the catalytic potential of microbial processes with an electrochemical method, aiming at addressing global challenges in renewable energy and natural resources. BESs have a wide range of applications, such as waste and wastewater treatment, microbial electrosynthesis of added-value compounds and environmental monitoring. Microorganisms play a crucial role in BES technology. The role of electrochemically active bacteria in the biodegradation of waste and wastewater can lead to higher treatment efficiencies than in conventional biological or electrochemical processes. Bacteria are able to grow on or close to the surface of electrodes. Therefore, bacteria and microbial community identification and characterization in terms of microbial diversity, genetic engineering of the microorganisms, genetic and metabolic knowledge, and expression and identification of genes, proteins, and metabolites expressed upon biodegradation can lead to optimization and further enhancement of BES technology.

This Special Issue aims to present up-to-date information on the scientific advances in the microbial processes employed in bioelectrochemical systems. Authors are invited to submit papers relating to, but not limited to, the following topics: electroactive pure microbial cultures, microbial communities, microbial fuel cell, microbial electrosynthesis, microbial electrochemistry, gene expression, gene regulation, metabolic pathways, systems biology, microbial enzymes, biological systems, synthetic biology, biodegradation gene expression, and metabolic pathways in microbial fuel cells.

Dr. Argyro Tsipa
Dr. Paola Grenni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioelectrochemical systems
  • pure microbial cultures
  • microbial communities and diversity
  • metabolic pathways of biodegradation
  • gene expression upon biodegradation
  • microbial fuel cells for waste and wastewater treatment
  • microbial electrosynthesis
  • genetic engineering
  • synthetic and systems biology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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11 pages, 392 KiB  
Article
Modeling and Optimal Control of an Electro-Fermentation Process within a Batch Culture
by Ihab Haidar, Elie Desmond-Le Quéméner, Jean-Pierre Barbot, Jérôme Harmand and Alain Rapaport
Processes 2022, 10(3), 535; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10030535 - 08 Mar 2022
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Abstract
Electro-fermentation is a novel process that consists in coupling a microbial fermentative metabolism with an electrochemical system. In such a process, the electrodes act either as the electron sinks or sources modifying the fermentation balance of a microbial fermentative metabolism and provide new [...] Read more.
Electro-fermentation is a novel process that consists in coupling a microbial fermentative metabolism with an electrochemical system. In such a process, the electrodes act either as the electron sinks or sources modifying the fermentation balance of a microbial fermentative metabolism and provide new options for the control of microbial activity. A theoretical framework for the analysis and control of fermentations using electro-fermentation is currently lacking. In this paper, we propose a simple electro-fermentation model in which a population of fermentative bacteria switch between two metabolic behaviors in response to different electrode potentials. We then mathematically analyze optimal strategies to maximize the production of one of the rising products in a batch fermentation using Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle. The obtained results show that, in some experimental configurations, a dynamic control of the electrode potential is required for the maximization of the desired product. Consequences of the obtained optimal strategy for driving electro-fermentation experiments are discussed through a realistic example. This analysis also highlights that the transition rates between fermentation and electro-fermentation behaviors are currently unknown and would be crucial to quantify in order to apply such a control approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Microbial Processes in Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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15 pages, 4601 KiB  
Article
Algae-Assisted Microbial Desalination Cell: Analysis of Cathode Performance and Desalination Efficiency Assessment
by David Ewusi-Mensah, Jingyu Huang, Laura Katherin Chaparro, Pau Rodenas, Marina Ramírez-Moreno, Juan Manuel Ortiz and Abraham Esteve-Núñez
Processes 2021, 9(11), 2011; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9112011 - 10 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2548
Abstract
Algae-assisted microbial desalination cells represent a sustainable technology for low-energy fresh water production in which microalgae culture is integrated into the system to enhance oxygen reduction reaction in the cathode chamber. However, the water production (desalination rate) is low compared to conventional technologies [...] Read more.
Algae-assisted microbial desalination cells represent a sustainable technology for low-energy fresh water production in which microalgae culture is integrated into the system to enhance oxygen reduction reaction in the cathode chamber. However, the water production (desalination rate) is low compared to conventional technologies (i.e., reverse osmosis and/or electrodialysis), as biocathodes provide low current generation to sustain the desalination process. In this sense, more research efforts on this topic are necessary to address this bottleneck. Thus, this study provides analysis, from the electrochemical point of view, on the cathode performance of an algae-assisted microbial desalination cell (MDC) using Chlorella vulgaris. Firstly, the system was run with a pure culture of Chlorella vulgaris suspension in the cathode under conditions of an abiotic anode to assess the cathodic behavior (i.e., cathode polarization curves in light-dark conditions and oxygen depletion). Secondly, Geobacter sulfurreducens was inoculated in the anode compartment of the MDC, and the desalination cycle was carried out. The results showed that microalgae could generate an average of 9–11.5 mg/L of dissolved oxygen during the light phase, providing enough dissolved oxygen to drive the migration of ions (i.e., desalination) in the MDC system. Moreover, during the dark phase, a residual concentration of oxygen (ca. 5.5–8 mg/L) was measured, indicating that oxygen was not wholly depleted under our experimental conditions. Interestingly, the oxygen concentration was restored (after complete depletion of dissolved oxygen by flushing with N2) as soon as microalgae were exposed to the light phase again. After a 31 h desalination cycle, the cell generated a current density of 0.12 mA/cm2 at an efficiency of 60.15%, 77.37% salt was removed at a nominal desalination rate of 0.63 L/m2/h, coulombic efficiency was 9%, and 0.11 kWh/m3 of electric power was generated. The microalgae-assisted biocathode has an advantage over the air diffusion and bubbling as it can self-sustain a steady and higher concentration of oxygen, cost-effectively regenerate or recover from loss and sustainably retain the system’s performance under naturally occurring conditions. Thus, our study provides insights into implementing the algae-assisted cathode for sustainable desalination using MDC technology and subsequent optimization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Microbial Processes in Bioelectrochemical Systems)
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