•Microbial electrosynthesis could mitigate greenhouse effect while synthesizing bioproducts.•The basics of bioelectrochemical system and features of pure/mixed cultures were discussed.•Common-used ...electrode materials with their advantages and disadvantages were illustrated.•Plentiful bio-products from CO2via microbial electrosynthesis were proposed systematically.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are currently rising at an unstoppable rate, and it is urgent to curb this trend for a stable and sustainable atmospheric environment. Under this adverse situation, microbial electrosynthesis (MES) applied to CO2 capture and conversion has received increasing attention in recent years for mitigating greenhouse effects while biosynthesizing higher-value products. Research on the CO2 capture and conversion in MES has been increasing in recent years, in 2020 alone, there has been more than 1400 papers concerning the bioelectrochemical CO2 capture and conversion. In this review, the basics of bioelectrochemical systems are first briefly summarized to provide an overall understanding about them. Then, several commonly used electrode materials such as carbonaceous materials, metallic materials, and carbonaceous-metallic materials, along with their advantages and disadvantages, are illustrated. Additionally, the features of pure/mixed cultures are discussed in this review. In particular, many biobased products obtained from CO2 conversion via MES are proposed systematically according to their respective carbon chain lengths. Finally, perspectives on how to improve the MES performance and enable this process to be more suitable and feasible for the industrialization of CO2 capture and conversion are presented here.
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•Applying ZIF-L&FeTPP@ZIF-8 as the precursor to synthesize Fe-Co-C/N catalyst.•Fe-Co-C/N showed high ORR activity via a four-electron pathway.•SMX treatment efficiency of the MFCs ...with Fe-Co-C/N electrocatalysis was explored.•Bacterial community under SMX stress in phylum and genus levels were analyzed.•SMX addition heightened the abundances of sul1 and sul2 as resistance genes.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) systems are up-and-coming technologies for renewable energy production and wastewater treatment simultaneously. However, the inactive oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the cathode markedly limits the functioning of MFCs. Therefore, the cathodic catalyst is one of the crucial components in MFCs, this paper presents the removal of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) from water using single-chamber MFCs with Fe-Co-C/N as electrocatalysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted to illustrate the structure and elemental composition of Fe-Co-C/N. The results obtained by the rotating disk electrode (RDE) method showed an extraordinary electrocatalytic activity of Fe-Co-C/N towards ORR in O2-saturated 0.1 M KOH. Furthermore, the degradation of SMX by MFCs that applied modified electrodes was also studied. The results demonstrated that using Fe-Co-C/N as air–cathode catalysts exhibited the degradation efficiency of 61.64% towards 6 mg/L SMX with 48 h. In addition, cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis showed that the peak current of the biofilm in the PBS solution (without adding SMX) was significantly higher than that of the solution with SMX addition at 6, 18, and 30 mg/L. Moreover, MFC performance was also evaluated by measuring electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), power generation, and polarization curves. Last but not least, the high-throughput sequencing-based metagenomic technique was used to explore the microbial community diversity, functional genes in MFCs, and fate of ARGs. SMX addition raised the abundances of sul1 and sul2 as resistance genes, which enhanced microbial resistance, the coping capability of SMX toxicity, and the adjustment of the damage from SMX. The obtained results suggest that Fe-Co-C/N is a feasible catalyst for MFC cathodes owing to its satisfactory performance in terms of SMX wastewater treatment and power production.
The past decade has witnessed the great potential of Fe‐based single‐atom electrocatalysis in catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, it remains a grand challenge to substantially ...improve their intrinsic activity and long‐term stability in acidic electrolytes. Herein, we report a facile chemical vapor deposition strategy, by which high‐density Fe atoms (3.97 wt%) are coordinated with square‐planar para‐positioned nitrogen and phosphorus atoms in a hierarchical carbon framework. The as‐crafted atomically dispersed Fe catalyst (denoted Fe‐SA/PNC) manifests an outstanding activity towards ORR over the entire pH range. Specifically, the half‐wave potential of 0.92 V, 0.83 V, and 0.86 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) are attained in alkaline, neutral, and acidic electrolytes, respectively, representing the high performance among reported catalysts to date. Furthermore, after 30,000 durability cycles, the Fe‐SA/PNC remains to be stable with no visible performance decay when tested in 0.1 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4, and only a minor negative shift of 40 mV detected in 0.1 M HClO4, significantly outperforming commercial Pt/C counterpart. The coordination motif of Fe‐SA/PNC is validated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work provides atomic‐level insight into improving the activity and stability of non‐noble metal ORR catalysts, opening up an avenue to craft the desired single‐atom electrocatalysts.
Background
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, with approximately 0.9% associated with known genetic mutations. Presenilin 1(PSEN1) gene is one of the most common genes ...associated with early‐onset familial Alzheimer’s disease (EOFAD). We reported a case of EOFAD with Y115C mutation of PSEN1 gene which was the first report in China.
Method
An early‐onset Alzheimer’s patient from Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University and her family were enrolled as the research object. The clinical and imaging data of the proband were collected. The genomic DNA from peripheral venous blood of the proband was screened.
Result
There were 6 members with memory and working competence loss in this pedigree. The proband, whose age of onset was 42 years old, was manifested as memory loss for more than 1year. She became apathetic, lazy in housework but without abnormal mood and behavior. She was healthy in the past, denied smoking and drinking history. Her grandmother, mother, aunt, uncle and brother all showed memory loss. Her brother is now unable to complete the driver’s work. The physical examination showed poor memory, calculation, orientation, executive functions, slow reaction and poor comprehension. The MMSE score was 11, MoCA‐Beijing score was 5, ADL‐20 score was 28, HAMD score was 2, HAMA score was 1 and PSQI score was 5. Head MRI of the proband showed whole cerebral cortical atrophy and bilateral hippocampal atrophy, obviously on the left side. The arterial spin labeling finding showed significantly reduced blood perfusion in the left cortex and hippocampus. A c.344A > G (p. Tyr115Cys) pathogenic mutation in the exon 5 of PSEN1 gene was found, proving the diagnosis.
Conclusion
We reported this EOFAD case caused by Y115C mutation of PSEN1 gene in a Chinese family to enrich the genetic and clinical phenotypic characteristics in China. Gene detection plays an important role in the diagnosis of the early‐onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The essential pasteurization process in liquid egg white (EW) production often leads to denaturation and solidification, causing pipe blockage and economic losses due to EW's sensitivity to heat. ...Therefore, some substances and methods to improve the thermal stability of EW during pasteurization were explored in this study to achieve better commercial operation and circulation of liquid EW. Combining surfactants induced changes in the thermal properties of the EW after different heating conditions (55 °C/3.5 min, 65 °C/2.5 min, 67 °C/1.5 min, and 70 °C/0.5 min) were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, particle size analyzer, rheometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Results indicated that after heating, the smaller particle size (decreased by 56.02%–86.68%, p < 0.05), the higher denaturation temperature (increased by 1.5–10.5 °C), and the lower viscosity (ranged from 0 to 0.5 Pa s) were achieved in EW treated by adding soybean lecithin and rhamnolipid. These showed that the combination of rhamnolipid and soybean lecithin effectively alleviates the aggregation behavior induced by heat treatment. This was also confirmed by the results of molecular docking that revealed the mechanism of thermodynamic behavior. Overall, the synergistic effect of rhamnolipid and soybean lecithin displayed great application potential in stabilizing the liquid EW during pasteurization, which could provide a theoretical basis for the non-destructive processing of egg white.
•The arabic gum addition significantly increased the particle size of egg white (EW).•Adding soybean lecithin and rhamnolipid (SR) improved the denaturation temperature.•The combined introduction of rhamnolipid and soybean lecithin to EW reduced the G′.•The interaction between surfactant and ovotransferrin explained the stability of SR.
In this study, tetracycline (TC) can be degraded in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) rapidly and efficiently for the synergistic effect of microbial metabolism and electrical stimulation. Different TC ...concentrations had different effects on the bioelectric performance of MFCs. Among them, 10 mg/L TC promoted the bioelectric properties of MFCs, the maximum power density reached 1744.4 ± 74.9 mW/cm2. In addition, we demonstrated that Geobacter and Chryseobacterium were the dominant species in the anode biofilm, while Azoarcus and Pseudomonas were the prominent species in the effluent, and the initial TC concentration affected the microbial community composition. Furthermore, the addition of TC increased the relative abundance of aadA3, sul1, adeF, cmlA, and tetC in reactors, indicating that a single antibiotic could promote the expression of self-related resistance as well as the expression of other ARGs. Moreover, the presence of TC can increase the relative content of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and greatly increase the risk of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) spreading. Meanwhile, network analysis revealed that some microorganisms (such as Acidovorax caeni, Geobacter soil, and Pseudomonas thermotolerans) and MGEs may be potential hosts for multiple ARGs.
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•Microbial metabolism and electrical stimulation are the main factors of TC removal.•Co-metabolism could effectively promote the bioelectric properties of MFCs.•Chryseobacterium koreense may be a kind of electroactive bacteria.•TC can promote the expression of resistance related to itself and other ARGs.•pTM3, pRA2, pEQ2 play an important role in the horizontal transfer of ARGs.
Prohibitin (PHB) is a mitochondrial inner membrane protein with neuroprotective, antioxidant, and apoptosis-reducing effects. This study aimed to explore the role of PHB in pathological symptoms, ...behavioral deficits, and cognitive impairment in a collagenase-IV-induced intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) murine model. In this study, mice that received collagenase IV injection were pretreated with PHB or saline 21 days prior to modeling. The role of PHB in memory and learning ability was monitored using the Morris water maze, Y-maze, and rotarod, social, startle, and nest-building tests. The effect of PHB on depression-like symptoms was examined using the forced swimming, tail suspension, and sucrose preference tests. Subsequently, mouse samples were analyzed using immunohistochemistry, western blotting, Perls staining, Nissl staining, and gene sequencing. Results showed that collagenase IV significantly induced behavioral deficits, brain edema, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms. PHB overexpression effectively alleviated memory, learning, and motor deficits in mice with ICH. PHB markedly inhibited the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling-positive cells and protein levels of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and interleukin-1β in the perihematomal region of ICH mice. PHB overexpression also remarkably promoted production of neurologin1 (NLGL1), and upregulated levels of Ca
-calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) and collapsin response mediator protein-1 (CRMP1) proteins. In conclusion, PHB overexpression can effectively alleviate the neurological deficits and neurodegeneration around the hematoma region. This may play a protective role by upregulating the expression of NLGL1 and promoting expression of CaMKII and CRMP1.
•Electrochemical deposition applied to single-atom catalyst preparation.•Pt single atoms were deposited on the surface of boron-nitride-carbon nanosheets.•Pt-N4 coordination structures were found as ...the active sites.•Application of Pt single-atom catalyst in the field of bioelectrochemistry.•Maximum power density of Pt SAs-BCN in microbial fuel cells was 936.31 mW cm−2.
The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important in the field of energy conversion. Single-atom (SA) catalysts (SACs) exhibit good ORR catalytic effects and are widely used in electrocatalysis. Herein, we broaden the application of SACs in the field of bioelectrochemistry and study their electrocatalytic performance in air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In this study, a platinum (Pt) SA-skin catalyst, boron-nitride-carbon (BCN) nanosheet with densely accessible Pt-N4 moieties named Pt SAs-BCN, was prepared by electrochemical deposition, which is more beneficial for large-scale industrial preparation of SACs. The obtained Pt SAs-BCN offered numerous active sites with adequate exposure, resulting in highly efficient and stable ORR activity. The participation of trace Pt SAs strengthens the electrocatalytic performance of BCN and reduces its charge transfer resistance. Remarkably, when employed as an air cathode in MFCs, the Pt SAs-BCN-modified MFC exhibited a maximum power generation capacity of 0.425 V and a maximum power density of 936.31 mW cm−2, while being able to run for two months without a violent performance drop. The application of SACs in the field of bioelectrochemistry achieves the purpose of energy conversion and has great potential for the bioelectrodegradation of organics.
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•Bio-electro-Fenton systems removed NFLX reached 79.8 % in 48 h reaction time.•The change of NFLX concentration can affect the potential of the anode and cathode.•Actinobacteria may ...be more resistant to antibiotics.•The ko02010 pathway upregulated with the addition of NFLX.•The antibiotic resistance mechanisms varied strongly for diverse bacterial species.
The misuse of antibiotics has increased the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), considered a class of critical environmental contaminants due to their ubiquitous and persistent nature. Previous studies reported the potentiality of bio-electro-Fenton processes for antibiotic removal and ARGs control. However, the production and fate of ARGs in bio-electro-Fenton processes triggered by microbial fuel cells are rare. In this study, the norfloxacin (NFLX) average residual concentrations within two days were 2.02, 6.07 and 14.84 mg/L, and the average removal efficiency of NFLX was 79.8 %, 69.6 % and 62.9 % at the initial antibiotic concentrations of 10, 20 and 40 mg/L, respectively. The most prevalent resistance gene type in all processes was the fluoroquinolone antibiotic gene. Furthermore, Proteobacteria was the dominant ARG-carrying bacteria. Overall, this study can provide theoretical support for the efficient treatment of high antibiotics-contained wastewater by bio-electro-Fenton systems to better control ARGs from the perspective of ecological security.
Light-driven micromotor has become one of the research focuses in the past decade, and its motion behavior is usually controlled by light intensity, polarization, and light wavelength. Herein, the ...light incident angle is utilized to control the motion behavior of silica/Au/pentacene (SiO
/Au/PEN) spherical Janus micromotor. Under tilted irradiation, a single micromotor shows positive phototactic moving behavior without the addition of external chemical fuels, which relies on the photocatalytic reactions and the self-electrophoresis mechanism. Interestingly, when the incident light is tuned to the vertical angle, the SiO
/Au/PEN micromotor stops moving. Similarly, a number of SiO
/Au/PEN micromotors exhibit the same "on-off" motion change, which is dependent on the light incident angle. More interestingly, the "on-off" motion of the SiO
/Au/PEN microparticles under vertical light irradiation results in the formation of the agglomeration with position and size precisely controlled by light. In addition, the resulting aggregation exhibits light-controlled dynamic migration behavior. The incident angle control thus opens up new opportunities for the motion control of the micromotors for diverse applications.
