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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Impact of current density on the function and microbial community structure in electro-bioreactors
Nancy A ElNaker1, Shadi W Hasan2, Ahmed F Yousef3
1Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Masdar City Campus, P.O. Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Abstract:
The assessment of bacterial communities in wastewater electro-bioreactors has garnered attention to improve efficiency of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processes. This study evaluated the effects of applying different current densities on the function and microbial community structure of an electro-bioreactor by measuring nutrient removal efficiency and analyzing 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. The electro-bioreactors at current density of 3, 5 and 7 A/m2 resulted in an enrichment of operational taxonomic units belonging to distinct functional bacterial families such as (Nitrospiraceae: 8.5, 12.5 and 12.6% relative abundance, respectively) and (Rhodocyclaceae: 8.1, 8.8 and 9.7% relative abundance, respectively), leading to efficient N-removal (>98%) and P-removal (>98%) higher than the control bioreactor (9.6 and 5.0%, respectively). Applying different electric currents proved to affect microbial community composition in electro-bioreactors. The results reported here could prove to be valuable for process control, optimization and improving WWTPs design and operation.
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