Characterization of Strain Pseudomonas sp. Q1 in Microbial Fuel Cell for Treatment of Quinoline-Contaminated Water

Abstract

To find new strain in the microbial fuel cell (MFC) for quinoline removal from wastewater and soil, a facultative anaerobic bacterium strain was isolated from the anode of MFC, utilizing quinoline as the carbon source and electron donor. Based on the 16S rRNA sequence analysis, the bacterium strain was Gram-negative and identified as Pseudomonas sp. Q1 according to its morphology and physiochemical properties. The strain was inoculated into a double-chambered MFC using various quinoline concentrations (0, 50, 75, 86, 100, 150, 200 and 300 mg L−1) combining with 300 mg L−1 glucose as the fuel. Results showed that electricity was generated from the MFC, in which quinoline was degraded simultaneously. The values of Coulombic efficiency (CE) increased with the increase of quinoline concentrations from 0 to 100 mg L−1 then decreased with the increase of quinoline concentration from 100 to 300 mg L−1, and the maximum CE 36.7% was obtained at the quinoline concentration of 100 mg L−1. The cyclic voltammetry analysis suggested that the mechanism of electron transfer was through excreting mediators produced by the strain Q1. The MFC should be a potential method for the treatment of quinoline-contaminated water and soil.