Electroactive mixed culture derived biofilms in microbial bioelectrochemical systems: The role of pH on biofilm formation, performance and composition

The pH-value played a crucial role for the development and current production of anodic microbial electroactive biofilms. It was demonstrated that only a narrow pH-window, ranging from pH 6 to 9, was suitable for growth and operation of biofilms derived from pH-neutral wastewater. Any stronger deviation from pH neutral conditions led to a substantial decrease in the biofilm performance. Thus, average current densities of 151, 821 and 730 μA cm−2 were measured for anode biofilms grown and operated at pH 6, 7 and 9 respectively. The microbial diversity of the anode chamber community during the biofilm selection process was studied using the low cost method flow-cytometry. Thereby, it was demonstrated that the pH value as well as the microbial inocula had an impact on the resulting anode community structure. As shown by cyclic voltammetry the electron transfer thermodynamics of the biofilms was strongly depending on the solution’s pH-value.