Bioaugmentation of microbial fuel cells with Geobacter sulfurreducens strain 60473 for boosting power outputs from food wastes

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are expected to be applied to sustainable power generation, while substantial enhancement of process performances is necessary for practical application. In this project, we examined the utility of bioaugmentation with electro-active bacteria for boosting power outputs from MFCs. Single-chamber MFCs were operated using digester effluent as an inoculum and food wastes as organic substrates, and the effects of bioaugmentation with Geobacter sulfurreducens strain 60473 were examined. Bioaugmentation with 60473 improves organics removal and power output. Metabarcoding analyses using 16S rRNA gene amplicons showed that Geobacter shared more than 40% of anode bacteria in bioaugmented MFCs. These results suggest the utility of bioaugmentation with strain 60473 for improving the performances of MFCs.