DETECCIÓN Y AISLAMIENTO DE MICROORGANISMOS EXOELECTRÓGENOS A PARTIR DE LODOS DEL RÍO LERMA, ESTADO DE MÉXICO, MÉXICO

Abstract

Some microorganisms (such as bacteria) are capable of producing renewable energy without harassing the environment. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) offer thepossibility of transforming organic matter into electricity by using the metabolism of these microorganisms, creating ions within the subproducts of the metabolism that go to the extracellular environment. An electrode is set into the MFC that works as a final acceptor that attracts the electrons released by the microorganisms after consuming organic matter. To date, many microorganisms with the capability of liberating electrons through their metabolism have been identified. However only few are able of doing so without chemical mediators, which is why the search of new exoelectrogen microorganisms is of great importance. On the present work, two different MFC were employed for optimizing the isolation of exoelectrogenic bacteria gathered from mud of the Lerma river and from the Centro Interamericano de Recursos del Agua water treatment plant. Voltage generated by these microorganisms was compared with that created by Geobacter sulfurrenducens , one of the most efficient bacteria in this field. Overall, the obtained data show that the isolated bacteria at the National Institute of Nuclear Research facilities (identified by ribosomal RNA as Clostridium sordellii and C. bifermentans ) have a good voltage generation, although not as good as the one from G. sulfurrenducens . Results indicate that the strategy employed in the research is suitable for efficiently locating, isolating and identifying exoelectrogenic bacteria that may be used later on for the in situ generation of electricity in polluted areas.