Microbial Fuel Cell bioreactor Raw sequence reads. 16S rRNA analysis of Microbial Fuel Cell bioreactors

We analyse patterns of microbial fuel cell (MFC) start-up phase across four separate experiments, in which inoculation was initiated using a wastewater sample as the microbial source. We focus primarily on the Desulfuromonadaceae- Geabacteraceae dynamics, which is a key determinant of start-up times, and monitor the presence of Desulfuromonadaceae strains using a Desulfuromonas-specific PCR primer set. Direct application of an enriched consortium, originating from an active anodic biofilm in an operating MFC, was attempted on a clean anode in order to substantially reduce start-up times relative to those observed by inoculating with a wastewater sample alone. Start-up times were significantly reduced, reaching initial voltage within several hours, rather than days.