Enhancement of cellulose degradation in freshwater sediments by a sediment microbial fuel cell

Dawei Zhu, De Bin Wang, Tian shun Song, Ting Guo, Ping Wei, Pingkai Ouyang, Jingjing Xie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To demonstrate that an enhanced sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) system can accelerate the degradation of cellulose in fresh water sediments as the accumulation of cellulose in lake sediments may aggravate the lake marsh, increase organic matter content and result in rapid deterioration of water quality and damage the ecosystem. Results: After 330 days the highest cellulose removal efficiency (72.7 ± 2.1 %) was achieved in the presence of a SMFC with a carbon nanotube decorated cathode, followed by a SMFC without the cathode decoration (64.4 ± 2.8 %). The lowest cellulose removal efficiency (47.9 ± 2.1 %) was in the absence of SMFC. The sediment characterization analysis confirmed that the carbon nanotube decorated cathode enhances the electron transfer rate in the SMFC and improves the dissolved organic matter oxidation rate. Conclusion: This study offers a relatively simple and promising new method for cellulose degradation in sediment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)271-277
Number of pages7
JournalBiotechnology Letters
Volume38
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2016

Keywords

  • Biodegradation
  • Carbon nanotube
  • Cellulose
  • Sediment microbial fuel cell

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