Enhancing anaerobic digestion of complex organic waste with carbon-based conductive materials

Dang, Yan; Holmes, Dawn E.; Zhao, Zhiqiang; Woodard, Trevor L.; Zhang, Yaobin; Sun, Dezhi; Wang, Liying; Nevin, Kelly P.; Lovley, Derek R.

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2016.08.114

Cited by 330 publications

(157 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) is a syntrophic metabolism in which free electrons flow from one cell to another without being shuttled by reduced molecules such as molecular hydrogen or formate [42]. DIET has been suggested as the reason for obtaining better degradation rates of simple substrates and higher biogas yields in anaerobic systems when carbon-based conductive materials are added [43], as was demonstrated by Rotaru et al [44] and Zhao et al [45] when studying the use of activated carbon. In the present experiments, enhancement via DIET may be similarly relevant, as the improvement of digestion may not be completely explained by the adsorption phenomenon.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they described no effects on the syntrophic metabolism of the substrate. On the other hand, Dang et al [43] reported the main role of Methanosarcina (which are capable of DIET) when conductive materials are incorporated in anaerobic digesters. These authors highlight the benefits of accepting electrons from conductive materials by Methanosarcina , because the conversion of acetate to methane yields little energy, and this type of organism typically grows slowly on acetate.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing anaerobic digestion of poultry blood using activated carbon

Cuetos

Martínez

Moreno

et al. 2017

Journal of Advanced Research

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing anaerobic digestion of poultry blood using activated carbon

Cuetos

Martínez

Moreno

et al. 2017

Journal of Advanced Research

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“…Nevertheless, electromethanogenesis has been reported to take place in psicrophilic [145], mesophilic [8,13,146,160], and thermophilic conditions [15,53,161] proving robustness to the technology. Besides the introduction of electrodes directly in the anaerobic reactor, methane production could be enhanced by the addition of carbon-based (i.e., carbon cloth, carbon felt, and granular activated carbon) [76,147,162] or non-carbon-based [163] conductive materials as a method to increase electro-active methanogenic activity. Moreover, the coupling of an external cathode to the anaerobic digester resulted in an improvement of its performance [148].…”

Section: Applications Of Electromethanogenesismentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Edge of Research and Technological Application: A Critical Review of Electromethanogenesis

Blasco-Gómez

Batlle-Vilanova

Villano

et al. 2017

IJMS

169

103

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The conversion of electrical current into methane (electromethanogenesis) by microbes represents one of the most promising applications of bioelectrochemical systems (BES). Electromethanogenesis provides a novel approach to waste treatment, carbon dioxide fixation and renewable energy storage into a chemically stable compound, such as methane. This has become an important area of research since it was first described, attracting different research groups worldwide. Basics of the process such as microorganisms involved and main reactions are now much better understood, and recent advances in BES configuration and electrode materials in lab-scale enhance the interest in this technology. However, there are still some gaps that need to be filled to move towards its application. Side reactions or scaling-up issues are clearly among the main challenges that need to be overcome to its further development. This review summarizes the recent advances made in the field of electromethanogenesis to address the main future challenges and opportunities of this novel process. In addition, the present fundamental knowledge is critically reviewed and some insights are provided to identify potential niche applications and help researchers to overcome current technological boundaries.

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“…Lee et al [13] demonstrated the applicability of GAC to facilitate DIET-mediated methanogenesis in continuous mode and this improvement was associated with the enrichment of primarily exoelectrogens and hydrogenotrophic methanogens in biomass attached to the GAC. Very few studies have demonstrated the effect of GAC addition on complex wastes instead of on artificial mono-substrates, including the use of commercial dog food as a substitute for dry organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and waste activated sludge (WAS) [67][68][69]. All of them observed that accelerated digestion rate and growth of putative DIET participants were stimulated; therefore, all proposed that conductive GAC can be used as an effective electron transfer mediator even in real wastewater streams.…”

Section: Biochar and Activated Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, carbon cloth [65,67,68] and carbon felt [67,73] have been used as conductive materials to facilitate DIET in mixed-culture environments. A recent study has reported that carbon cloth has a beneficial effect on the inhibiting condition caused by the acidic impact and high hydrogen partial pressure in anaerobic digesters [74].…”

Section: Carbon Fibersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role and Potential of Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer in Anaerobic Digestion

et al. 2018

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Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an effective biological treatment for stabilizing organic compounds in waste/wastewater and in simultaneously producing biogas. However, it is often limited by the slow reaction rates of different microorganisms' syntrophic biological metabolisms. Stable and fast interspecies electron transfer (IET) between volatile fatty acid-oxidizing bacteria and hydrogenotrophic methanogens is crucial for efficient methanogenesis. In this syntrophic interaction, electrons are exchanged via redox mediators such as hydrogen and formate. Recently, direct IET (DIET) has been revealed as an important IET route for AD. Microorganisms undergoing DIET form interspecies electrical connections via membrane-associated cytochromes and conductive pili; thus, redox mediators are not required for electron exchange. This indicates that DIET is more thermodynamically favorable than indirect IET. Recent studies have shown that conductive materials (e.g., iron oxides, activated carbon, biochar, and carbon fibers) can mediate direct electrical connections for DIET. Microorganisms attach to conductive materials' surfaces or vice versa according to particle size, and form conductive biofilms or aggregates. Different conductive materials promote DIET and improve AD performance in digesters treating different feedstocks, potentially suggesting a new approach to enhancing AD performance. This review discusses the role and potential of DIET in methanogenic systems, especially with conductive materials for promoting DIET.

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Enhancing anaerobic digestion of complex organic waste with carbon-based conductive materials

Cited by 330 publications

References 30 publications

Enhancing anaerobic digestion of poultry blood using activated carbon

Enhancing anaerobic digestion of poultry blood using activated carbon

On the Edge of Research and Technological Application: A Critical Review of Electromethanogenesis

Role and Potential of Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer in Anaerobic Digestion

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