Electrode potential regulates extracellular polymer secretion enhanced tetracycline removal

Bacteria colonized on solid electrode developing electroactive biofilm (EAB) has been shown to promote the contaminants biodegradation. Regulating electrode potential can improve the stability of extracellular electron transfer (EET), but how the electrode potential regulating the extracellular polymer secretion and the tetracycline (TC) removal has not been fully studied. Here, EAB cultured at 0 V was used to study the degradation mechanism of TC at different electrode potentials. Results showed that -0.1 V was the optimized electrode potential for TC biodegradation compared with 0.1 V, 0 V and -0.3 V, which was 28 % higher than that without electric field. Stimulation of electric field can retain proper extracellular polymer (EPS) to relieve the poison of TC, while excessive extracellular polysaccharide (PS) at 0 V have hindered the contact between microorganisms and TC, thus limited electron transfer and reduced the TC biodegradation efficiency. Excessively negative potential (-0.3 V) will restrict the electron transfer which was not conducive to the biodegradation of organic pollutants. Microbial community analysis revealed that TC addition have refreshed the EAB structure, Dokdonella and Norank_f_Rikenellaceae replaced Geobacter as the dominant species in EAB to promote TC biodegradation. The variation of metabolic pathway was suggested that the up-regulation of pyruvate metabolism and ubiquinone synthesis at -0.1 V have promoted the TC removal. This study has provided theoretical support for the electrode potential regulating the extracellular polymer secretion and promoting the pollution bioremediation.