Alkali Ön Arıtım Uygulanmış Pleurochrysis Carterae Biyokütlesi ile Beslenen Membransız Mikrobiyal Yakıt Hücrelerinde Elektrokimyasal Performans ve Anodik Mikrobiyal Topluluk Yapısı

Öz

Artan küresel enerji talebi ve fosil yakıt tabanlı teknolojilerin çevresel etkileri, sürdürülebilir, düşük karbonlu enerji üretim yöntemlerinin geliştirilmesini gerekli kılmaktadır. Mikrobiyal yakıt hücreleri (MYH), organik maddenin mikrobiyal oksidasyonu yoluyla doğrudan elektrik üretimini mümkün kılmaktadır. Ancak bazı mikroalg türlerinin sert ve mineralize hücre duvarı, substrat biyoyararlanımını sınırlayarak MYH performansını kısıtlayabilmektedir. Karbondioksit gideriminde etkin bir mikroalg olan Pleurochrysis carterae, hücre duvarındaki kalsiyum karbonat plakaları nedeniyle biyolojik ayrışmaya dirençlidir; bu özellik elektrik üretim verimliliğini olumsuz etkileyebilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Pleurochrysis carterae biyokütlesine uygulanan alkali ön arıtımın, membransız bir MYH (MS-MYH) sisteminde elektrik üretimi üzerindeki etkisi araştırılmıştır. Alkali ön arıtımın amacı, hücre duvarını kısmen çözerek çözünür organik fraksiyonu artırmaktır; ön arıtım uygulanan biyokütle, anodik besin kaynağı olarak kullanılmıştır. Sonuçlar, %2 NaOH ön arıtımı uygulanan reaktörde maksimum güç yoğunluğunun 791,2 mW m-²’ye ulaştığını ve bu değerin kontrol reaktörüne göre yaklaşık %64 daha yüksek olduğunu göstermiştir. Alkali ön arıtım uygulanan reaktörlerde ayrıca daha düşük iç direnç ve daha kararlı bir biyoelektrik üretim profili gözlenmiştir. Ön arıtım sonrası substrat kullanılabilirliğindeki artışın, anot biyofilminin elektron transfer süreçlerinin ve elektrokimyasal aktivitesinin artmasıyla ilişkili olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu sonuçlar, Pleurochrysis carterae gibi sert hücre duvarlı mikroalg türlerinin, uygun ön arıtımın ardından MS-MYH sistemlerinde etkin bir biyoenerji kaynağı olabileceğini göstermekte ve sürdürülebilir elektrik üretimi için potansiyel bir yaklaşım sunmaktadır

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Mikrobiyal yakıt hücresi
• Pleurochrysis carterae
• Alkali ön arıtım
• Biyoelektrik üretimi

Destekleyen Kurum

Fırat Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Koordinasyon Birimi (FÜBAP)

Proje Numarası

MF.20.44

Etik Beyan

Yazarlar herhangi bir çıkar çatışması bulunmadığını beyan etmektedir. Ayrıca, bu çalışma için etik kurul onayı gerekmemiştir.

Teşekkür

Bu çalışma, Fırat Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Koordinasyon Birimi (FUBAP) tarafından desteklenmiştir. Proje numarası MF.20.44'tür. Yazarlar, mali desteği için FUBAP'a teşekkür eder.

Electrochemical Performance and Anodic Microbial Community Structure In Membrane-Less Microbial Fuel Cells Fed With Alkali-Pretreated Pleurochrysis Carterae Biomass

Öz

The increasing global energy demand and the environmental impacts of fossil-fuel-based technologies necessitate the development of sustainable, low-carbon energy production methods. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) generate electricity directly through microbial oxidation of organic matter. However, the hard, mineralized cell wall of some microalgal species can limit MFC performance by restricting substrate bioavailability. Pleurochrysis carterae, a microalga effective at carbon dioxide removal, is resistant to biological degradation due to calcium carbonate plates in its cell wall, which can negatively affect electricity production efficiency. This study investigated the effect of alkaline pretreatment of Pleurochrysis carterae biomass on electricity generation in a membrane-less MFC (MLMFC) system. The goal of alkaline pretreatment was to partially dissolve the cell wall and increase the soluble organic fraction; the pretreated biomass was used as the anodic nutrient source. The results showed that the maximum power density in the reactor receiving 2% NaOH-pretreated biomass reached 791.2 mW m-², which was approximately 64% higher than that of the control reactor. Reactors receiving alkaline-pretreated biomass also showed lower internal resistance and a more stable bioelectric power-generation profile. The increase in substrate availability following pretreatment is thought to be associated with enhanced electron transfer processes and electrochemical activity of the anode biofilm. These results indicate that microalgal species with rigid cell walls, such as Pleurochrysis carterae, may serve as an effective bioenergy source in MLMFCs following appropriate pretreatment, providing a potential approach for sustainable electricity production.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Microbial fuel cell
• Pleurochrysis carterae
• Alkaline pretreatment
• Bioelectricity generation

Destekleyen Kurum

Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (FUBAP)

Proje Numarası

MF.20.44

Etik Beyan

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Additionally, ethics committee approval was not required for this study.

Teşekkür

This study was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (FUBAP) at Fırat University. The project number is MF.20.44. The authors would like to thank FUBAP for its financial support.

Kaynakça

1. O. Ellabban, H. Abu-Rub, and F. Blaabjerg, “Renewable energy resources: Current status, future prospects and their enabling technology,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 39, pp. 748–764, 2014.
2. S. Chu and A. Majumdar, “Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable energy future,” Nature, vol. 488, no. 7411, pp. 294–303, 2012.
3. P. L. Xu, J. Li, J. Qian, B. Wang, J. Liu, R. Xu, P. Chen, and W. G. Zhou, “Recent advances in CO₂ fixation by microalgae and its potential contribution to carbon neutrality,” Chemosphere, vol. 319, Art. no. 137987, 2023.
4. W. M. Balch, “The ecology, biogeochemistry, and optical properties of coccolithophores,” Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci., vol. 10, pp. 71–98, 2018.
5. A. Bora, A. S. T. Rajan, K. Ponnuchamy, G. Muthusamy, and A. Alagarsamy, “Microalgae to bioenergy production: Recent advances, influencing parameters, utilization of wastewater—A critical review,” Sci. Total Environ., vol. 946, Art. no. 174230, 2024.
6. K. Özer, B. Taşkan, and E. Taşkan, “Pleurochrysis carterae, a coccolithophorid alga: A potential sustainable feedstock for biological methane production,” Biomass Bioenergy, vol. 206, Art. no. 108657, 2026.
7. Y. Sheng, S. Shanmugam, A. Chinnathambi, S. H. Salmen, S. Ge, C. Xia, and K. Brindhadevi, “Feasibility of microalgal and macroalgal biomass co-digestion on biomethane production,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, vol. 47, no. 88, pp. 37394–37400, 2022.
8. N. Moheimani, J. Webb, and M. Borowitzka, “Bioremediation and other potential applications of coccolithophorid algae: A review,” Algal Res., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 120–133, 2012.

9. C. Brownlee, G. Langer, and G. L. Wheeler, “Coccolithophore calcification: Changing paradigms in changing oceans,” Acta Biomater., vol. 120, pp. 4–11, 2021.
10. N. R. Moheimani, A. Isdepsky, J. Lisec, E. Raes, and M. A. Borowitzka, “Coccolithophorid algae culture in closed photobioreactors,” Biotechnol. Bioeng., vol. 108, no. 9, pp. 2078–2087, 2011.
11. N. R. Moheimani and M. A. Borowitzka, “Increased CO₂ and the effect of pH on growth and calcification of Pleurochrysis carterae and Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta) in semicontinuous cultures,” Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., vol. 90, no. 4, pp. 1399–1407, 2011.
12. J. Raven and M. Giordano, “Biomineralization by photosynthetic organisms: Evidence of coevolution of the organisms and their environment?,” Geobiology, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 140–154, 2009.
13. M. Oleszek and I. Krzemińska, “Biogas production from high-protein and rigid cell wall microalgal biomasses: Ultrasonication and FT-IR evaluation of pretreatment effects,” Fuel, vol. 296, Art. no. 120676, 2021.
14. X. Bai, P. A. Lant, P. D. Jensen, S. Astals, and S. Pratt, “Enhanced methane production from algal digestion using free nitrous acid pre-treatment,” Renew. Energy, vol. 88, pp. 383–390, 2016.
15. K. Rabaey and W. Verstraete, “Microbial fuel cells: Novel biotechnology for energy generation,” Trends Biotechnol., vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 291–298, 2005.
16. B. E. Logan, R. Rossi, A. A. Ragab, and P. E. Saikaly, “Electroactive microorganisms in bioelectrochemical systems,” Nat. Rev. Microbiol., vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 307–319, 2019.
17. B. E. Logan, M. J. Wallack, K.-Y. Kim, W. He, Y. Feng, and P. E. Saikaly, “Assessment of microbial fuel cell configurations and power densities,” Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., vol. 2, no. 8, pp. 206–214, 2015.
18. M. Shabani, H. Younesi, M. Pontié, A. Rahimpour, M. Rahimnejad, and A. A. Zinatizadeh, “A critical review on recent proton exchange membranes applied in microbial fuel cells for renewable energy recovery,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 264, Art. no. 121446, 2020.
19. A. Zabihallahpoor, M. Rahimnejad, and F. Talebnia, “Sediment microbial fuel cells as a new source of renewable and sustainable energy: Present status and future prospects,” RSC Adv., vol. 5, no. 114, pp. 94171–94183, 2015.
20. S. Gupta, A. Patro, Y. Mittal, S. Dwivedi, P. Saket, R. Panja, T. Saeed, F. Martínez, and A. K. Yadav, “The race between classical microbial fuel cells, sediment-microbial fuel cells, plant-microbial fuel cells, and constructed wetlands-microbial fuel cells: Applications and technology readiness level,” Sci. Total Environ., vol. 879, Art. no. 162757, 2023.
21. A. G. del Campo, J. F. Perez, P. Cañizares, M. A. Rodrigo, F. J. Fernandez, and J. Lobato, “Characterization of light/dark cycle and long-term performance test in a photosynthetic microbial fuel cell,” Fuel, vol. 140, pp. 209–216, 2015.
22. B. Taşkan, M. Bakır, and E. Taşkan, “Enhanced power generation from algal biomass using multi-anode membrane-less sediment microbial fuel cell,” Int. J. Energy Res., vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 2011–2022, 2021.
23. M. E. Montingelli, S. Tedesco, and A. G. Olabi, “Biogas production from algal biomass: A review,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 43, pp. 961–972, 2015.
24. S. Pandit, M. Sharma, S. Banerjee, B. K. Nayak, D. Das, S. Khilari, and R. Prasad, “Pretreatment of cyanobacterial biomass for the production of biofuel in microbial fuel cells,” Bioresour. Technol., vol. 370, Art. no. 128505, 2023.
25. R. G. Saratale, C. Kuppam, A. Mudhoo, G. D. Saratale, S. Periyasamy, G. Zhen, L. Koók, P. Bakonyi, N. Nemestóthy, and G. Kumar, “Bioelectrochemical systems using microalgae—A concise research update,” Chemosphere, vol. 177, pp. 35–43, 2017.
26. B. Xiao, C. Liu, J. Liu, and X. Guo, “Evaluation of the microbial cell structure damages in alkaline pretreatment of waste activated sludge,” Bioresour. Technol., vol. 196, pp. 109–115, 2015.
27. H. Wang, L. Lu, F. Cui, D. Liu, Z. Zhao, and Y. Xu, “Simultaneous bioelectrochemical degradation of algae sludge and energy recovery in microbial fuel cells,” RSC Adv., vol. 2, no. 18, pp. 7228–7234, 2012.
28. E. G. Bligh and W. J. Dyer, “A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification,” Can. J. Biochem. Physiol., vol. 37, no. 8, pp. 911–917, 1959.
29. M. M. Bradford, “A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding,” Anal. Biochem., vol. 72, nos. 1–2, pp. 248–254, 1976.
30. M. DuBois, K. A. Gilles, J. K. Hamilton, P. A. Rebers, and F. Smith, “Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substances,” Anal. Chem., vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 350–356, 1956.
31. B. Taşkan, E. Taşkan, and B. Özkaya, “Overcoming the calcification barrier: Enhanced power generation via acid pretreatment of calcified Pleurochrysis carterae biomass in membrane-less microbial fuel cells,” Bioelectrochemistry, Art. no. 109423, 2026.
32. E. Herrero-Hernandez, D. Greenfield, T. J. Smith, and R. Akid, “Evaluation of the performance of a mediatorless microbial fuel cell by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,” Electroanalysis, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 1189–1194, 2019.
33. E. Taşkan, S. Bulak, B. Taşkan, M. Şaşmaz, S. El Abed, and A. El Abed, “Nitinol as a suitable anode material for electricity generation in microbial fuel cells,” Bioelectrochemistry, vol. 128, pp. 118–125, 2019.
34. M. Z. M. Yusoff, A. Hu, C. Feng, T. Maeda, Y. Shirai, M. A. Hassan, and C.-P. Yu, “Influence of pretreated activated sludge for electricity generation in microbial fuel cell application,” Bioresour. Technol., vol. 145, pp. 90–96, 2013.
35. G. Lepage, G. Perrier, G. Merlin, N. Aryal, and X. Dominguez-Benetton, “Multifactorial evaluation of the electrochemical response of a microbial fuel cell,” RSC Adv., vol. 4, no. 45, pp. 23815–23825, 2014.
36. A. Karluvalı, A. Y. Çetinkaya, E. O. Köroğlu, and B. Özkaya, “Effect of pretreatment on electricity generation from municipal solid waste in microbial fuel cell,” Sigma J. Eng. Nat. Sci., vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 479–488, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA25NL94PN.
37. H. Li, C. Li, W. Liu, and S. Zou, “Optimized alkaline pretreatment of sludge before anaerobic digestion,” Bioresour. Technol., vol. 123, pp. 189–194, 2012.
38. P. P. Rajesh, D. A. Jadhav, and M. M. Ghangrekar, “Improving performance of microbial fuel cell while controlling methanogenesis by Chaetoceros pretreatment of anodic inoculum,” Bioresour. Technol., vol. 180, pp. 66–71, 2015.
39. Z. He and F. Mansfeld, “Exploring the use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in microbial fuel cell studies,” Energy Environ. Sci., vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 215–219, 2009.
40. Y. Yuan, S. Zhou, N. Xu, and L. Zhuang, “Electrochemical characterization of anodic biofilms enriched with glucose and acetate in single-chamber microbial fuel cells,” Colloids Surf. B Biointerfaces, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 641–646, 2011.
41. X. Dominguez-Benetton, S. Sevda, K. Vanbroekhoven, and D. Pant, “The accurate use of impedance analysis for the study of microbial electrochemical systems,” Chem. Soc. Rev., vol. 41, no. 21, pp. 7228–7246, 2012.
42. K. Fricke, F. Harnisch, and U. Schröder, “On the use of cyclic voltammetry for the study of anodic electron transfer in microbial fuel cells,” Energy Environ. Sci., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 144–147, 2008.
43. S. S. Kumar, S. K. Malyan, S. Basu, and N. R. Bishnoi, “Syntrophic association and performance of Clostridium, Desulfovibrio, Aeromonas and Tetrathiobacter as anodic biocatalysts for bioelectricity generation in dual chamber microbial fuel cell,” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., vol. 24, no. 19, pp. 16019–16030, 2017.
44. M. S. Kamel, M. H. Abd-Alla, and U. M. Abdul-Raouf, “Characterization of anodic biofilm bacterial communities and performance evaluation of a mediator-free microbial fuel cell,” Environ. Eng. Res., vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 862–870, 2020.
45. B. Özkaya and A. Karluvalı, “Microbial community structure in the biofilm anode of MFC fed with landfill leachate,” Clean Energy Technol. J., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 78–89, Dec. 2023. [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA99WR75ZC.
46. Y. Xing, X. Huang, H. Wang, and J. Yu, “Insight in the mechanism of alkali treatment methods effecting dewatered sludge fermentation from microbial characteristics,” J. Environ. Chem. Eng., vol. 10, no. 6, Art. no. 108861, 2022.
47. H. Pasalari, H. Gharibi, S. Darvishali, and M. Farzadkia, “The effects of different pretreatment technologies on microbial community in anaerobic digestion process: A systematic review,” J. Environ. Health Sci. Eng., vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 439–453, 2024