Impact of electrical stimulation modes on the degradation of refractory phenolics and the analysis of microbial communities in an anaerobic-aerobic-coupled upflow bioelectrochemical reactor

Nuerla Ailijiang; Jiali Chang; Peng Liang; Xiaoyuan Zhang; Xia Huang

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124371

Impact of electrical stimulation modes on the degradation of refractory phenolics and the analysis of microbial communities in an anaerobic-aerobic-coupled upflow bioelectrochemical reactor

Bioresour Technol. 2021 Jan;320(Pt B):124371. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124371. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Authors

Nuerla Ailijiang¹, Jiali Chang², Peng Liang³, Xiaoyuan Zhang³, Xia Huang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Smart City and Environment Modelling of Higher Education Institute, College of Resources and Environment Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, PR China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
² State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China; Division of Environmental Engineering, School of Chemistry, Resources and Environment, Leshan Normal University, Sichuan 614000, PR China.
³ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
⁴ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China. Electronic address: xhuang@tsinghua.edu.cn.

PMID: 33186803
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124371

Abstract

An electrically stimulated anaerobic-aerobic coupled system was developed to improve the biodegradation of refractory phenolics. Expected 4-nitrophenol, 2, 4-dinitrophenol, and COD removals in the system with aerobic cathodic and anaerobic anodic chambers were approximately 53.7%, 45.4%, 22.3% (intermittent mode) and 37.9%, 19.8%, 17.3% (continuous mode) higher than that in the control system (26.0 ± 6.4%, 30.7 ± 7.1%, 49.8 ± 3.0%). 2, 4-dichlorophenol removal in the system with aerobic anodic and anaerobic cathodic chambers was approximately 28.5% higher than that in the control system (71.4 ± 5.7%). The contribution of the aerobic cathodic/anodic chambers to the removal of phenolic compounds was higher than that of the anaerobic cathodic/anodic chambers. The species related to phenolic biodegradation (Rhodococcus, Achromobacter, PSB-M-3, and Sphingobium) were enriched in the cathodic and anodic chambers of the system. These results showed that intermittent electrical stimulation could be a potential alternative for the efficient degradation of refractory phenolics.

Keywords: Biodegradation; Electrical stimulation; Microbial community; Refractory phenolics.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Biodegradation, Environmental
Bioreactors*
Electric Stimulation
Microbiota*