Identifcation of Electrochemically Active Bacteria and Their Potential in Water Treatment
AIChE Annual Meeting
2023
2023 AIChE Annual Meeting
Annual Student Conference: Competitions & Events
Undergraduate Student Poster Session: Environmental
Monday, November 6, 2023 - 10:00am to 12:30pm
We have employed plate-based kinetic fluorescence tests to screen CCP bacteria isolated on Luria-Bertani agar plates with meat peptone as a nitrogen source. Riboflavin was used to monitor the electrochemical activity of tested bacterial cultures as oxidized Riboflavin is fluorescent, but the reduced molecule becomes non-fluorescent. The fluorescence of a sample containing EAB was expected to decrease over time as the Riboflavin was reduced by the EAB in increasing anaerobic conditions in samples covered by mineral oil and tape. To be considered an EAB candidate, the sample should display rapid drop in fluorescence within the first two hours, with fast fluorescence recovery following aeration. We have identified 76 EAB potential candidates, isolated DNA from 38, and PCR-amplified variable parts of 16s rRNA gene. All PCR fragments were gel-purified and sent out for sequencing. The sequences of rRNAs were analyzed using BLAST. 33 isolates were identified as members of the Aeromonas family, with some members known to be EAB. One sample was identified to be in the Pseudomonas family, two as Pseudomonas guineae, one in the Bacillus family, and one as Shewanella putrefaciens. The identification of Shewanella is significant as it is a known EAB, proving the efficacy of the testing method. Future research directions include experimental characterization of identified strains for their electrochemical activity.