Influence of Hydrodynamic Forces on Electroactive Bacterial Adhesion in Microbial Fuel Cell Anodes

Abstract

This investigation examined the role of shear stress on the dynamic development of microbial communities within anodic biofilms in single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Bacterial attachment to surfaces, often regarded as a crucial step in biofilm formation, may significantly contribute to the selection of electroactive bacteria (EAB). It is well established that hydrodynamic forces, particularly shear forces, have a profound influence on bacterial adhesion. This study postulates that shear stress could select EAB on the anode during the adhesion phase by detaching non-EAB. To examine this hypothesis, MFC reactors equipped with a shear stress chamber were constructed, creating specific shear stress on the anode. The progression of adhesion under various shear stress conditions (1, 10, and 50 mPa) was compared with a control MFC lacking shear stress. The structure of the microbial community was assessed using 16S rRNA gene (rrs) sequencing, and the percentage of biofilm coverage was analyzed using fluorescence microscopy. The results indicate a significant impact of shear stress on the relative abundance of specific EAB, such as Geobacter, which was higher (up to 30%) under high shear stress than under low shear stress (1%). Furthermore, it was noted that shear stress decreased the percentage of biofilm coverage on the anodic surface, suggesting that the increase in the relative abundance of specific EAB occurs through the detachment of other bacteria. These results offer insights into bacterial competition during biofilm formation and propose that shear stress could be utilized to select specific EAB to enhance the electroactivity of anodic biofilms. However, additional investigations are warranted to further explore the effects of shear stress on mature biofilms.