Plugging in microbial metabolism for industrial applications
Carolyn A Bell A and Ashley E Franks A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology
College of Science, Health and Engineering
La Trobe University
Melbourne, Vic. 3086, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9479 2206
B Email: a.franks@latrobe.edu.au
Microbiology Australia 38(2) 89-92 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA17037
Published: 11 April 2017
Abstract
The ability of electric microbes to electrically interact with electrodes is opening up a number of possibilities with industrial applications. Microbes are able to utilise the electrode as an electron source to reduce CO2 for the production of organic compounds directly or produce H2 as a reducing equivalent for partner microbes for the production of commodity chemicals. Electrodes can also allow redox unbalanced fermentation processes to occur through the addition or subtraction of reducing equivalents that remove bottle necks in these pathways. Electrodes are also providing a physical refuge for electric microbes to maintain anaerobic fermenter stability. It can be expected that the role for electric microbes will continued to be expanded as part of industrial applications in the future.
References
[1] Semenec, L. and Franks, A.E. (2014) The microbiology of microbial electrolysis cells. Microbiol. Aust. 35, 201–206.| The microbiology of microbial electrolysis cells.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[2] Bereza-Malcolm, L.T. and Franks, A.E. (2015) Coupling anaerobic bacteria and microbial fuel cells as whole-cell environmental biosensors. Microbiol. Aust. 36, 129–132.
[3] Butler, C.S. and Lovley, D.R. (2016) How to sustainably feed a microbe: strategies for biological production of carbon-based commodities with renewable electricity. Front. Microbiol. 7, 1879.
| How to sustainably feed a microbe: strategies for biological production of carbon-based commodities with renewable electricity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[4] Lovley, D.R. and Nevin, K.P. (2013) Electrobiocommodities: powering microbial production of fuels and commodity chemicals from carbon dioxide with electricity. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 24, 385–390.
| Electrobiocommodities: powering microbial production of fuels and commodity chemicals from carbon dioxide with electricity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3sXjsFCisr0%3D&md5=d02bc0bc5b068a3e2dd577a14bd50edcCAS |
[5] Koch, C. and Harnisch, F. (2016) Is there a specific ecological niche for electroactive microorganisms? ChemElectroChem.
[6] Nevin, K.P. et al. (2010) Microbial electrosynthesis: feeding microbes electricity to convert carbon dioxide and water to multicarbon extracellular organic compounds. MBio 1, e00103-10.
| Microbial electrosynthesis: feeding microbes electricity to convert carbon dioxide and water to multicarbon extracellular organic compounds.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[7] Puig, S. et al. (2017) Tracking bio-hydrogen-mediated production of commodity chemicals from carbon dioxide and renewable electricity. Bioresour. Technol. 228, 201–209.
| Tracking bio-hydrogen-mediated production of commodity chemicals from carbon dioxide and renewable electricity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC2sXhtFeruw%3D%3D&md5=d526ae816ecce8e7b58152c1bdeb240aCAS |
[8] Deutzmann, J.S. and Spormann, A.M. (2017) Enhanced microbial electrosynthesis by using defined co-cultures. ISME J. 11, 704–714.
| Enhanced microbial electrosynthesis by using defined co-cultures.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC2sXivFeksLs%3D&md5=cde3b9b7e013e6d30282573598fed83dCAS |
[9] Jourdin, L. et al. (2016) Biologically induced hydrogen production drives high rate/high efficiency microbial electrosynthesis of acetate from carbon dioxide. ChemElectroChem.
[10] Rosenbaum, M.A. and Franks, A.E. (2014) Microbial catalysis in bioelectrochemical technologies: status quo, challenges and perspectives. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 98, 509–518.
| Microbial catalysis in bioelectrochemical technologies: status quo, challenges and perspectives.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3sXhvVGru7bL&md5=f996f2a731b0ad096ce72de931d68021CAS |
[11] Sivasubramaniam, D. and Franks, A.E. (2016) Bioengineering microbial communities: Their potential to help, hinder and disgust. Bioengineered 7, 137–144.
| Bioengineering microbial communities: Their potential to help, hinder and disgust.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC28XhtVKntrnK&md5=3a3ab5316a4c9e9be9da4f47f942dc2bCAS |
[12] Stol, M. (1994) Beer in Neo-Babylonian times. Drinking in ancient societies. 155–183.
[13] Schievano, A. et al. (2016) Electro-fermentation–merging electrochemistry with fermentation in industrial applications. Trends Biotechnol. 34, 866–878.
| Electro-fermentation–merging electrochemistry with fermentation in industrial applications.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC28XmvF2itLk%3D&md5=28fcfa2f073d2bbc558d04f4e82be440CAS |
[14] Bandyopadhyay, A.A. et al. (2017) Advancement in bioprocess technology: parallels between microbial natural products and cell culture biologics. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol , .
| Advancement in bioprocess technology: parallels between microbial natural products and cell culture biologics.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[15] Rabaey, K. and Rozendal, R.A. (2010) Microbial electrosynthesis—revisiting the electrical route for microbial production. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 8, 706–716.
| Microbial electrosynthesis—revisiting the electrical route for microbial production.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3cXhtFGqtbfO&md5=c69a4b0d1128ce317aa9adcf9101d5f8CAS |
[16] Ross, D.E. et al. (2011) Towards electrosynthesis in Shewanella: energetics of reversing the Mtr pathway for reductive metabolism. PLoS One 6, e16649.
| Towards electrosynthesis in Shewanella: energetics of reversing the Mtr pathway for reductive metabolism.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3MXitVGiu74%3D&md5=df17a5eb0ff5e67a5e297341adfa1754CAS |
[17] Kracke, F. and Krömer, J.O. (2014) Identifying target processes for microbial electrosynthesis by elementary mode analysis. BMC Bioinformatics 15, 410.
| Identifying target processes for microbial electrosynthesis by elementary mode analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[18] Flynn, J.M. et al. (2010) Enabling unbalanced fermentations by using engineered electrode-interfaced bacteria. MBio 1, e00190-10.
| Enabling unbalanced fermentations by using engineered electrode-interfaced bacteria.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[19] Kim, T.S. and Kim, B.H. (1988) Electron flow shift in Clostridium acetobutylicum fermentation by electrochemically introduced reducing equivalent. Biotechnol. Lett. 10, 123–128.
| Electron flow shift in Clostridium acetobutylicum fermentation by electrochemically introduced reducing equivalent.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DyaL1cXhs1Cmtrk%3D&md5=82660654cee50e7e2b2f57af475e53b4CAS |
[20] Summers, Z.M. et al. (2010) Direct exchange of electrons within aggregates of an evolved syntrophic coculture of anaerobic bacteria. Science 330, 1413–1415.
| Direct exchange of electrons within aggregates of an evolved syntrophic coculture of anaerobic bacteria.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3cXhsVyrsbbJ&md5=6d68350311b81a38091fa7b94d5b9f80CAS |
[21] Morita, M. et al. (2011) Potential for direct interspecies electron transfer in methanogenic wastewater digester aggregates. MBio 2, e00159-11.
| Potential for direct interspecies electron transfer in methanogenic wastewater digester aggregates.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[22] Sen, B. et al. (2016) State of the art and future concept of food waste fermentation to bioenergy. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 53, 547–557.
| State of the art and future concept of food waste fermentation to bioenergy.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC2MXhsFWmsrrM&md5=aa160f9370ab5c9eb767b651a7422c2dCAS |
[23] Zhao, Z. et al. (2015) Potential for direct interspecies electron transfer in an electric-anaerobic system to increase methane production from sludge digestion. Sci. Rep. 5, 11094.
| Potential for direct interspecies electron transfer in an electric-anaerobic system to increase methane production from sludge digestion.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC2MXhtFyiu73L&md5=1b50be997a67d56e890b1b996460c541CAS |
[24] Rotaru, A.-E. et al. (2014) A new model for electron flow during anaerobic digestion: direct interspecies electron transfer to Methanosaeta for the reduction of carbon dioxide to methane. Energy Environ. Sci. 7, 408–415.
| A new model for electron flow during anaerobic digestion: direct interspecies electron transfer to Methanosaeta for the reduction of carbon dioxide to methane.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3sXhvFKhtrbL&md5=44c1be39a68dea590a78242f458b0f5fCAS |
[25] Zhao, Z. et al. (2014) Bioelectrochemical enhancement of anaerobic methanogenesis for high organic load rate wastewater treatment in a up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. Sci. Rep. 4, 6658.
| Bioelectrochemical enhancement of anaerobic methanogenesis for high organic load rate wastewater treatment in a up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC2MXksVWhtrs%3D&md5=45a41bad8a8bb50b07b3e4df1e5919bdCAS |
[26] De Vrieze, J. et al. (2014) Biomass retention on electrodes rather than electrical current enhances stability in anaerobic digestion. Water Res. 54, 211–221.
| Biomass retention on electrodes rather than electrical current enhances stability in anaerobic digestion.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC2cXkt12qsr0%3D&md5=011624b297cf77952d9aa09cb9b34324CAS |
