Toxicity response of electroactive microbial biofilms--a decisive feature for potential biosensor and power source...

Herein, we investigate the effect of exemplary biocides on wastewater-derived electroactive microbial biofilms. We show that the current response of these biofilms as a measure of their bioelectrocatalytic performance is not affected by the presence of antimicrobial compounds such as the sulfonamide-based antibiotics sulfamethaxozole and sulfadiazin, the disinfectant chloramine B and the metal ions Cu(2+), Ag(+), Pb(2+), and Hg(2+), even at concentrations an order of magnitude higher than average concentrations of these compounds in wastewaters. In contrast to the electroactive biofilms, planktonic cells of the same origin, studied in a mediator-based microbial fuel cell, are massively affected by the presence of the antimicrobial agents.