Bringing High-Rate, CO2-Based Microbial Electrosynthesis Closer to Practical Implementation through Improved Electrode Design and Operating Conditions

Environmental Science & Technology
Ludovic JourdinJurg Keller

Abstract

The enhancement of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) of acetate from CO2 to performance levels that could potentially support practical implementations of the technology must go through the optimization of key design and operating conditions. We report that higher proton availability drastically increases the acetate production rate, with pH 5.2 found to be optimal, which will likely suppress methanogenic activity without inhibitor addition. Applied cathode potential as low as -1.1 V versus SHE still achieved 99% of electron recovery in the form of acetate at a current density of around -200 A m(-2). These current densities are leading to an exceptional acetate production rate of up to 1330 g m(-2) day(-1) at pH 6.7. Using highly open macroporous reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes with macropore sizes of about 0.6 mm in diameter was found to be optimal for achieving a good balance between total surface area available for biofilm formation and effective mass transfer between the bulk liquid and the electrode and biofilm surface. Furthermore, we also successfully demonstrated the use of a synthetic biogas mixture as carbon dioxide source, yielding similarly high MES performance as pure CO2. This would allow this process to be ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 30, 2017·Trends in Biotechnology·Sylvia GildemynKorneel Rabaey
Apr 21, 2017·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Ramiro Blasco-GómezSebastià Puig
May 18, 2017·Environmental Science & Technology·Wei-Shan ChenCarolien Kroeze
Jan 21, 2017·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Sam D MolenaarCees J N Buisman
Jun 26, 2017·Microbial Cell Factories·Chunhua ZhaoYanping Zhang
Mar 13, 2018·Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research·Sovik DasM M Ghangrekar
Feb 15, 2019·Molecules : a Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry·Adolf KrigeUlrika Rova
Jan 17, 2021·Trends in Biotechnology·Richen LinJerry D Murphy
Dec 7, 2020·Trends in Biotechnology·Ludovic Jourdin, Thomas Burdyny
Jan 25, 2018·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Kelsey K SakimotoPeidong Yang
Jun 28, 2019·ACS Synthetic Biology·Nicholas M Tefft, Michaela A TerAvest

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