Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology • 2026

Biomanufacturing can play a pivotal role in the transition away from fossil fuel dependence for the production of chemicals and fuels. There is growing interest in inexpensive alternative bioproduction feedstocks from renewable sources that avoid competing with food production for land use. Ethylene glycol, a C2 compound that can be recovered from plastic waste or derived from carbon dioxide, is gaining attention as a carbon source for microbial processes. Here, we systematically evaluate natural and synthetic metabolic pathways for ethylene glycol assimilation using theoretical modeling approaches. We analyzed five pathways for their maximum theoretical yields, thermodynamic favourability, enzyme costs, and orthogonality to cell growth and identify favourable traits for each of these pathways for a given product. Our results reveal distinct trade-offs between pathway types. Synthetic pathways achieved higher theoretical yields for biomass and most bioproducts, with synthetic glycolaldehyde assimilation (SAGA) pathways showing the best overall yields and the synthetic acetyl-CoA assimilation (SACA) pathway demonstrating the highest thermodynamic favourability and lowest enzyme costs. Among natural pathways, the glycerate pathway exhibited favorable thermodynamics and moderate enzyme costs comparable to synthetic alternatives, while being particularly advantageous for glycolate production despite carbon losses. The β-hydroxyaspartate cycle (BHAC) showed the poorest thermodynamic performance and highest enzyme burden. However, natural pathways exhibited equal or higher orthogonality to growth-associated reactions, making them potentially suitable for dynamically controlled production systems. These findings provide guidance for selecting optimal ethylene glycol assimilation strategies based on target products and process requirements, supporting the development of sustainable bioprocesses utilizing this promising unconventional feedstock.

Journal of environmental management • 2026

Antibiotics, microplastics (MPs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are major emerging contaminants (ECs) that have posed significant risks to the aquatic ecosystem and human beings. Lately, enhanced constructed wetlands (CWs) have improved their ability to remove ECs. Aeration and tidal flow significantly increase dissolved oxygen (DO) and improve microbial activity in CWs. In addition, microbial fuel cell (MFC) and electrolysis systems are embedded into CWs, aiming to enhance their electrochemical characteristics for the removal of ECs. Furthermore, combining an advanced oxidation process with a CW increases not only ECs removal, but also ecological values. Advanced configuration and operation can create enhanced CWs systems that could provide alternative technical solutions for ECs control in water environment. However, there are still enormous issues (such as scaling up the small-scale investigation) to be solved before the developed techniques can be applied in engineering practice. Based on the updated literature, this review provides an overview of cutting-edge processes and fresh knowledge of CWs on ECs removal. We expect that the review can guide the research and development of CW towards assisting ECs solution.

Environmental research • 2026

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination poses significant challenges for the remediation of surface water. This study evaluated how electrode surface area affects the performance of microbial fuel cell enhanced floating beds (MFC-EFBs) under PFOA stress. The results indicate that PFOA exposure significantly reduced MFC-EFBs bioelectricity generation, likely due to toxic effects on plants and microbial communities. Increasing electrode surface area from 0.04 m 2 to 0.08 m 2 partially mitigated these adverse effects, improving power density, plant photosynthetic activity, and the removal of conventional pollutants. PFOA removal in MFC-EFBs was primarily attributable to substrate adsorption (13.2-14.6%), whereas plant uptake contributed less than 5%. Although increasing electrode surface area did not significantly change overall PFOA removal efficiency (p > 0.05), it altered PFOA transport pathways within the system. Larger electrode areas enhanced the adsorption of PFOA onto the electrode surface and its subsequent phytosequestration, effectively extracting PFOA from the aqueous phase and thereby lowering its bioavailability and associated ecological risk. These results indicate that optimizing electrode surface area can enhance MFC-EFBs resilience to PFOA stress and improve treatment performance, offering a practical strategy to advance bioelectrochemical remediation of emerging contaminants in surface water.

ACS applied materials & interfaces • 2026

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as ″forever chemicals″ due to their robust C-F bonds, remain persistent in aquatic environments and resist conventional remediation efforts. This review critically examines current treatment strategies, such as adsorption, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation, reduction, and thermal degradation, highlighting their limitations in terms of energy efficiency, selectivity, and byproduct management. The discussion then focuses on MXenes, a class of two-dimensional transition metal carbides/nitrides known for their high surface area and tunable surface terminations (-OH, -O, -F). Despite their promise, MXenes face challenges, such as aqueous instability and limited reusability. A systematic evaluation is provided on how surface functionalization, through amination, carboxylation, and surfactant modification, enhances PFAS adsorption, particularly for difficult-to-remove short-chain variants. Integration with covalent organic frameworks, metal-organic frameworks, and metal oxides boosts catalytic degradation under ambient conditions. Importantly, this review introduces two innovative strategies: (1) a MXene-microbial fuel cell hybrid that enables in situ regeneration and bioelectrochemical degradation of PFAS and (2) a chemically staged MXene surface with spatially distinct domains that promote sequential PFBS fragmentation without external reagents. These approaches offer scalable, low-energy alternatives that address the critical shortcomings of conventional methods. By tackling persistent issues such as short-chain PFAS degradation, byproduct toxicity, and material recyclability, this review positions MXenes as a multifunctional platform integrating adsorption and catalysis. Our findings pave the way for scalable, next-generation MXene-based materials tailored for sustainable PFAS remediation.

Biotechnology advances • 2026

The pursuit of sustainability in the urban world has prompted the development of innovative biobased strategies to mitigate the impact of industrial and human activities on the environment. One such strategy is leveraging microbial collaboration to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency to unlock the production of biobased products embracing circular bioeconomy in rapidly functioning bio-electrochemical systems (BES). BES is a diversified technology with manifold applications that use microbial interactions at electrode interface to synthesize new products with enhanced substrate utilization, contributing to both environmental sustainability and industrial efficiency. Considering the significance of microbial collaboration, this review article is intended to discuss the types and benefits of microbial interactions in BES, partnerships in a mixed microbiome, between co-cultures, underlying factors, mechanisms, and approaches to enhance the yield and targeted outcome advocating sustainability. This review provides an overview of current research, advances in microbial synergy, and the challenges in optimizing microbial consortia for industrial applications. Probing and harnessing synergies between microbial groups or specific microbes is expected to play a pivotal role in advancing efficient bioelectrochemical platforms and accelerating the transition towards a resilient, biobased economy.

Water research • 2026

The application of osmotic microbial fuel cell (OsMFC) for landfill leachate treatment is limited by rising catholyte pH, due to slow proton migration from the anode to the cathode. Such issue is potentially solved by forward osmosis (FO) membrane through incorporating proton-conducting medium. The study focused on elucidating the efficacy of this novel OsMFC system in treating landfill leachate, which integrated the custom-made FO membranes incorporating different types of proton-conducting medium. Specifically, proton migration was significantly boosted in the OsMFC system utilizing FO-2 membrane by doping heterogeneously metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The FO-2 membrane with superior proton-conducting performance was fabricated by incorporating equal amido-MIL-101(Cr) and sulfo-MIL-101(Cr) into the polyamide layer formed on top of polysulfone substrate by interfacial polymerization method. The facilitating proton transport results from the synergistic action of formed acid-base pairs and hydrophilic nanochannels between the two types of heterogeneous microporous MOFs. Results revealed that the OsMFC employing FO-2 membrane attained a maximum power density of 5.82 ± 0.47 W·m -3 , representing a 71.68 % increase compared to the system using a commercial membrane. Furthermore, the salinity dilution rate of simulated seawater and extracted volume of clean water from landfill leachate were approximately 2∼3 folds those achieved with the commercial membrane. Additionally, the OsMFC with the FO-2 membrane exhibited superior pollutant degradation performance and the highest pollutant retention rates. The efficient landfill leachate treatment performance was attributed to the facilitated proton migration and improved water flux enabled by the proton-conducting medium. Therefore, this research demonstrated a promising innovative application for the efficient and green treatment of landfill leachate.

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Berghahn Books • 2022

Looking at the crossroads between heritage and religion through the case study of Moravian Christiansfeld, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2015, this anthology reaches back to the eighteenth century when the church settlement was founded, examines its legacy within Danish culture and modern society, and brings this history into the present and the ongoing heritagization processes. Finally, it explores the consequences of the listing for the everyday life in Christiansfeld and discusses the possible and sustainable futures of a religious community in a World Heritage Site.

Sang Hagk Kwon, Kiyohiko Nakasaki

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry • 2015

MALAYSIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY • 2024

Andrea Lamberti, Candido F. Pirri

Journal of Energy Storage • 2016

sumitha M. S, Xavier T S

SSRN Electronic Journal • 2022

Zhitong Hu, Xiaohua Yu

Materials Research Express • 2019

Douglas Vieira Thomaz

Material Science • 2019

Karen Chan

Nature Communications • 2020

Changjun Zhang

Nature Energy • 2016

Ryo Kuriki, Kazuhiko Maeda

SPIE Newsroom • 2015

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Rasayan Journal of Chemistry • 2018

Matthieu Jules

Microbial Cell • 2018

Guven Gonca

Applied Mathematical Modelling • 2016

Asim Riaz

SSRN Electronic Journal • 2023

Dewu Ding

New Biotechnology • 2016

Extracellular electron transfer (EET) is the key feature of some bacteria, such as Geobacter sulfurreducens and Shewanella oneidensis. Via EET processes, these bacteria can grow on electrode surfaces and make current output of microbial fuel cells. c-Type cytochromes can be used as carriers to transfer electrons, which play an important role in EET processes. Typically, from the inner (cytoplasmic) membrane through the periplasm to the outer membrane, they could form EET pathways. Recent studies suggest that a group of c-type cytochromes could form a network which extended the well-known EET pathways. We obtained the protein interaction information for all 41 c-type cytochromes in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, constructed a large-scale protein interaction network, and studied its structural characteristics and functional significance. Centrality analysis has identified the top 10 key proteins of the network, and 7 of them are associated with electricity production in the bacteria, which suggests that the ability of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 to produce electricity might be derived from the unique structure of the c-type cytochrome network. By modularity analysis, we obtained 5 modules from the network. The subcellular localization study has shown that the proteins in these modules all have diversiform cellular compartments, which reflects their potential to form EET pathways. In particular, combination of protein subcellular localization and operon analysis, the well-known and new candidate EET pathways are obtained from the Mtr-like module, indicating that potential EET pathways could be obtained from such a c-type cytochrome network.

Ronnie S. Concepcion II, Kate G. Francisco, Adrian Genevie G. Janairo et al.

Renewable Energy • 2023

A. S. Mathuriya, D. Pant

Environmental Technology • 2019

Separators are considered as an important component in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to facilitate ion transport and to prevent electrode short circuiting. In the present study, expanded polystyrene (EPS) was evaluated for the first time as a separator in a single-chamber air cathode and dual chamber aqueous cathode MFCs. The characteristics and performance of EPS were analyzed and compared with other conventionally used separators used in MFCs and was found to be competitive. Initially, the EPS was less impermeable to protons, resulting in delayed process startup (17 days) and stabilization (57 days), but gradually exhibited improved and stable performance. In the air cathode MFC with the EPS as the separator and domestic wastewater as the substrate, power production was 391 mW/m 2 , while power output of the aqueous cathode MFC was 328 mW/m 2 . The characteristics and cost analysis of EPS indicate that it can be a potential candidate as a separator in scaled-up MFC applications.

Itaru ASANO, Yasuyuki HAMANO, Seiya TSUJIMURA et al.

Electrochemistry • 2012

Chuanlun L Zhang, Yiliang Li, Qi Ye et al.

Chemical Geology • 2003

Masataka Satomi, Hiroshi Oikawa, Yutaka Yano

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology • 2003

MeiMei Shi, YongGuang Jiang, Liang Shi

Science China Technological Sciences • 2019

Biotechnology and Bioengineering • 2015

J. C. Renshaw, N. Law, A. Geissler et al.

Biogeochemistry • 2009

Surajbhan Sevda, Ibrahim M. Abu-Reesh

Desalination and Water Treatment • 2018

Qingyun Ping, Zhen He

Desalination and Water Treatment • 2014

Fei Zhang, Zhen He

Desalination • 2015

A.Y. Goren, H.E. Okten

Desalination • 2021

Zainab Z. Ismail, Ali J. Jaeel

Desalination and Water Treatment • 2015

Hussein M. Abdelmohsen, Abdelsalam Elawwad

Desalination and Water Treatment • 2025

Kristen S. Brastad, Zhen He

Desalination • 2013

Surajbhan Sevda, Ibrahim M. Abu-Reesh

Environmental Technology • 2019

R. Ilamathi, A. Merline Sheela

Desalination and Water Treatment • 2020

Thomas Lötzbeyer, Wolfgang Schuhmann, Hanns-Ludwig Schmidt

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical • 1996

Xihui Guo, Wentao Zhu, Gang Peng et al.

Environmental Research • 2025

This study developed a pyrite-filled three-dimensional biofilm electrode reactor (P3DBER) to treat nitrate wastewater with a low carbon/nitrogen ratio. Meanwhile, the joint effect of current intensity (CI) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the performance of the P3DBER was investigated. Results indicated that under the optimal conditions (CI = 30 mA, HRT = 4.9 h), the total inorganic nitrogen removal efficiency (TINRE) reached a maximum of 93.5 ± 1.4%, with a low electrical consumption of 0.075 kW h/g TIN. Increasing CI under different HRTs significantly enhanced the nitrogen removal capacity of the P3DBER. However, at high CI (30 mA), prolonging HRT did not further improve the nitrogen removal efficiency. The introduction of pyrite not only increased the types of electron donors but also could effectively maintain the stability of pH in the P3DBER. Variation partitioning analysis (VPA) showed that CI had a greater impact on the microbial community/functional genes than HRT. In addition, network analysis demonstrated a strong interconnection among microorganisms/functional genes within the P3DBER. This study offers valuable information for optimizing the operating parameters of the P3DBER.