GOALI: Boosting granulation and performance of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor: Significance of direct interspecies electron transfer

PI姓名：Haluk Beyenal提案编号：1706889上流式厌氧污泥床（UASB）反应器在商业上用于将高浓度有机废物转化为甲烷。 尽管它们取得了成功，但UASB反应器仍然存在启动时间长、底物去除不完全以及所产生的沼气不纯的问题。 UASB反应器中的大部分生物反应发生在污泥颗粒上。 颗粒中的微尺度生物和电子传递过程的知识有限，目前难以控制电子传递过程以改善UASB反应器中的颗粒化和基质向甲烷的转化。 PI将专注于使用其研究小组开发的独特研究工具和技术以及环境微生物学和电化学技术来了解颗粒中的电子转移过程。 该项目将涉及本科生和研究生的研究，并为他们在微生物电化学和厌氧消化领域的职业生涯做好准备。本项目的目标是量化的电子转移速率，并确定电子转移机制的颗粒使用新的技术。PI将利用这些知识来提高颗粒中微生物群落的性能，并开发创新的生物电化学厌氧消化器。 他们计划使用能够在空间上量化颗粒内的微尺度化学梯度，电导率和细胞外电子转移速率的微电极，并且他们将使用电化学技术来富集和鉴定UASB反应器的产电生物。 为了实现这些目标，他们将1）通过量化和空间映射电导率和化学梯度并确定微生物种群的作用来确定厌氧产甲烷颗粒中的电子转移机制，2）评估导电材料在电子转移过程中的贡献和UASB反应器的性能，以及3）开发一种新型的集成生物电化学反应器/UASB反应器。 从成功完成该项目中获得的知识将对UASB反应器的沼气产量和可持续性产生直接影响，并将适用于新的和现有的厌氧消化技术。PI计划通过一家合作公司将他们的研究成果传播给工业界，该公司将为本科生和研究生提供实习机会。与工业合作伙伴的互动将有助于促进生物电化学消化器技术的商业化。

PI Name: Haluk BeyenalProposal Number: 1706889 Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors are used commercially in the conversion of high-strength organic wastes to methane. Despite their success, UASB reactors still suffer from long start-up times, incomplete substrate removal, and impurity of the produced biogas. Most of the biological reactions in UASB reactors happen at the sludge granules. There is limited knowledge of the microscale biological and electron transfer processes in granules, and it is currently difficult to control electron transfer processes to improve granulation and substrate conversion to methane in the UASB reactor. The PIs will focus on understanding electron transfer processes in granules using unique research tools and techniques developed by their research group in addition to environmental microbiology and electrochemical techniques. The project will involve undergraduate and graduate students in research and prepare them for careers in the fields of microbioelectrochemistry and anaerobic digestion. The goals of this project are to quantify the electron transfer rates and determine the electron transfer mechanisms in granules using novel techniques. The PIs will use this knowledge to improve performance of microbial communities in granules and to develop innovative bioelectrochemical anaerobic digesters. They plan to use microelectrodes capable of spatially quantifying the microscale chemical gradients, conductivity, and extracellular electron transfer rates within granules, and they will use electrochemical techniques to enrich and qualify electrogenic organisms for the UASB reactors. To achieve these goals, they will 1) determine the electron transfer mechanisms in anaerobic methanogenic granules by quantifying and spatially mapping conductivity and chemical gradients and identifying the role of microbial populations, 2) evaluate the contribution of conductive material in the electron transfer processes and performance of UASB reactors, and 3) develop a novel integrated bioelectrochemical reactor/UASB reactor. The knowledge gained from the successful completion of the project will have an immediate impact on the biogas yields and sustainability of the UASB reactors and will be applicable to new and existing anaerobic digester technology. The PIs plan to disseminate their research to industry through a collaborating company, which will provide internships for undergraduate and graduate students. Interaction with the industrial partner will help promote commercialization of the bioelectrochemical digester technology.