Interconnected versus unconnected microorganisms: Does it matter in anaerobic digestion functioning.

Microorganisms in anaerobic digestion (AD) are essential for wastes/pollutants treatment and energy recovery. Due to microbial enormous diversity, developing effective perspectives to understand microbial roles therein is urgent. This study conducted AD of swine manure, used an ensemble-based network analysis to distinguish interconnected, unconnected, copresence (positively interconnected) and mutual-exclusion (negatively interconnected) microorganisms within microbial communities, and explored their importance towards AD performances, using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and 16S rRNA gene. Our analyses revealed greater importance of interconnected than unconnected microorganisms towards CH4 production and AD multifunctionality, which was attributed to higher niche breadth, deterministic community assembly, community stability and phylogenetic conservatism. The diversity was higher in unconnected than interconnected microorganisms, but was not linked to AD performances. Compared to copresence microorganisms, mutual-exclusion microorganisms showed greater and equal importance towards CH4 production and AD multifunctionality, which was attributed to their roles in stabilizing microbial communities. The increased feedstock biodegradability, by replacing part of manure with fructose or apple waste, hardly affected the relative importance of interconnected versus unconnected microorganisms towards CH4 production or AD multifunctionality. Our findings develop a new framework to understand microbial roles, and have important implications in targeted manipulation of critical microorganisms in waste-treatment systems.

Pre-incubation conditions determine the fermentation pattern and microbial community structure in fermenters at mild hydrostatic pressure.

Fermentation at elevated hydrostatic pressure is a novel strategy targeting product selectivity. However, the role of inoculum history and cross-resistance, that is, acquired tolerance from incubation under distinctive environmental stress, remains unclear in high-pressure operation. In our here presented work, we studied fermentation and microbial community responses of halotolerant marine sediment inoculum (MSI) and anaerobic digester inoculum (ADI), pre-incubated in serum bottles at different temperatures and subsequently exposed to mild hydrostatic pressure (MHP; < 10 MPa) in stainless steel reactors. Results showed that MHP effects on microbial growth, activity, and community structure were strongly temperature-dependent. At moderate temperature (20°C), biomass yield and fermentation were not limited by MHP; suggesting a cross-resistance effect from incubation temperature and halotolerance. Low temperatures (10°C) and MHP imposed kinetic and bioenergetic limitations, constraining growth and product formation. Fermentation remained favorable in MSI at 28°C and ADI at 37°C, despite reduced biomass yield resulting from maintenance and decay proportionally increasing with temperature. Microbial community structure was modified by temperature during the enrichment, and slight differences observed after MHP-exposure did not compromise functionality. Results showed that the relation incubation temperature-halotolerance proved to be a modifier of microbial responses to MHP and could be potentially exploited in fermentations to modulate product/biomass ratio.

Molybdate effectively controls sulphide production in a shrimp pond model.

The production of shrimp is often performed in earthen outdoor ponds in which the high input of feed and faeces on the bottom can result in deterioration of the water quality, which negatively impacts the animals and the environment. Here, we investigate the potential of sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4·2H2O), sodium nitrate (NaNO3) and sodium percarbonate (Na2CO3·1.5H2O2) to control sulphide production in a simulated shrimp pond bottom system that included the sediment, overlaying artificial seawater and organic matter input in the form of shrimp feed and shrimp faeces. Sediment depth gradient measurements of oxygen, H2S and pH were obtained during 7 days of incubation using microelectrodes. The most significant impact in terms of H2S, was observed for 50 mg/L sodium molybdate. At the water-sediment interface, there was up to 73% less H2S detected for this treatment in comparison to a control treatment, while in the deeper layers of the sediment it was up to 47% less H2S. The residual sulphate concentrations in the molybdate treated samples were 16 ± 4% higher than the control, indicating an inhibition in sulphate reduction. Nitrate and sodium percarbonate treatments also showed a limited capacity to decrease H2S entering in the water column, yet no clear difference in H2S concentrations in the sediment compared to the control were observed. Molybdate treatment appears to work through the inhibition of sulphate reducing bacteria in situ for the control of H2S production better than the chemical oxygen boosters or nitrate treatment.

Gut Microbiota of Migrating Wild Rabbit Fish (Siganus guttatus) Larvae Have Low Spatial and Temporal Variability.

We investigated the gut microbiota of rabbit fish larvae at three locations in Vietnam (ThuanAn-northern, QuangNam-intermediate, BinhDinh-southern sampling site) over a three-year period. In the wild, the first food for rabbit fish larvae remains unknown, while the juveniles and adults are herbivores, forming schools near the coasts, lagoons, and river mouths, and feeding mainly on filamentous algae. This is the first study on the gut microbiota of the wild fish larvae and with a large number of individuals analyzed spatially and temporally. The Clostridiales order was the most predominant in the gut, and location-by-location alpha diversity showed significant differences in Chao-1, Hill number 1, and evenness. Analysis of beta diversity indicated that the location, not year, had an effect on the composition of the microbiota. In 2014, the gut microbiota of fish from QuangNam was different from that in BinhDinh; in 2015, the gut microbiota was different for all locations; and, in 2016, the gut microbiota in ThuanAn was different from that in the other locations. There was a time-dependent trend in the north-south axis for the gut microbiota, which is considered to be tentative awaiting larger datasets. We found limited variation in the gut microbiota geographically and in time and strong indications for a core microbiome. Five and fifteen OTUs were found in 100 and 99% of the individuals, respectively. This suggests that at this life stage the gut microbiota is under strong selection due to a combination of fish-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions.

Feedstock thermal pretreatment selectively steers process stability during the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

Strategies to enhance process performance of anaerobic digestion remain of key importance to promote wider usage of this technology for integrated resource recovery from organic waste streams. Continuous inoculation of the microbial community in the digester via the feedstock could be such a cost-effective strategy. Here, anaerobic digestion of fresh waste activated sludge (WAS) was compared with sterilized WAS in response to two common process disturbances, i.e. organic overloading and increasing levels of salts, to determine the importance of feedstock inoculation. A pulse in the organic loading rate severely impacted process stability of the digesters fed sterile WAS, with a 92 ± 45% decrease in methane production, compared to a 42 ± 31% increase in the digesters fed fresh WAS, relative to methane production before the pulse. Increasing salt pulses did not show a clear difference in process stability between the digesters fed fresh and sterile WAS, and process recovery was obtained even at the highest salt pulse of 25 g Na+ L-1. Feedstock sterilization through thermal pretreatment strongly impacted the microbial community in the digesters. In conclusion, feedstock thermal pretreatment strongly impacted anaerobic digestion process stability, due to feedstock inoculation and compositional modification.

Antibiotic affects the gut microbiota composition and expression of genes related to lipid metabolism and myofiber types in skeletal muscle of piglets.

BACKGROUND: Early-life antibiotic administration is known to affect gut microbiota and host adiposity, but the effects of antibiotic exposure on skeletal muscle properties remain unknown. The present study evaluated the changes in skeletal muscle properties including myofiber characteristics and composition, as well as intramuscular fat (IMF) content in skeletal muscle of piglets when exposed to a tylosin-containing diet. RESULTS: A total of 18 piglets (28 days of age) were randomly allocated into two groups: control basal diet (Control) and Control + 100 mg tylosin phosphate/kg of feed (Antibiotic). The trial lasted for 39 days. High-throughput amplicon sequencing revealed that no significant difference in initial gut microbiota composition was existed between Control and Antibiotic groups. Antibiotic administration increased body weight and growth rate and decreased feed to gain ratio of pigs (P < 0.05). The carcass lean and fat volumes of pigs were increased by the tylosin administration (P < 0.05). Antibiotic treatment increased myofiber density and the expression of genes related to type I and type IIb myofibers in longissimus muscle (P < 0.05). The IMF content in longissimus muscle was increased by antibiotic exposure (P < 0.05). Antibiotic administration increased expression of genes related to fatty acid uptake and de novo synthesis, and decreased expression of genes related to triglyceride hydrolysis (P < 0.05). Tylosin administration affected taxonomic distribution and beta diversity of the caecal and colonic microbiota of piglets. CONCLUSION: These results confirm that the growth performance, myofiber composition and muscle lipid metabolism are affected by antibiotic administration, which may be associated with an altered gut microbiota, suggesting that the gut microbiota could be served as a potential target for modulating skeletal muscle properties of host.

Taking the technical microbiome into the next decade.

The 'microbiome' has become a buzzword. Multiple new technologies allow to gather information about microbial communities as they evolve under stable and variable environmental conditions. The challenge of the next decade will be to develop strategies to compose and manage microbiomes. Here, key aspects are considered that will be of crucial importance for future microbial technological developments. First, the need to deal not only with genotypes but also particularly with phenotypes is addressed. Microbial technologies are often highly dependent on specific core organisms to obtain the desired process outcome. Hence, it is essential to combine omics data with phenotypic information to invoke and control specific phenotypes in the microbiome. Second, the development and application of synthetic microbiomes is evaluated. The central importance of the core species is a no-brainer, but the implementation of proper satellite species is an important route to explore. Overall, for the next decade, microbiome research should no longer almost exclusively focus on its capacity to degrade and dissipate but rather on its remarkable capability to capture disordered components and upgrade them into high-value microbial products. These products can become valuable commodities in the cyclic economy, as reflected in the case of 'reversed sanitation', which is introduced here.

Isotope Fractionation in Biogas Allows Direct Microbial Community Stability Monitoring in Anaerobic Digestion.

Process monitoring of anaerobic digestion is typically based on operational parameters, such as pH and volatile fatty acid concentration, that are lagging on actual microbial community performance. In this study, 13C isotope fractionation in CH4 and CO2 in the biogas was used to monitor process stability of anaerobic digestion in response to salt stress. A gradual and pulsed increase in salt concentration resulted in a decrease in methane production. No clear shift in δ13CH4 was observed in response to the gradual increase in salt concentration, and δ13CO2 of the biogas showed only a clear shift after process failure, compared with the control. In contrast, both δ13CH4 and δ13CO2 in the biogas changed in response to the pulsed increase in salt concentration. This change preceded the decrease in methane production. A significantly different bacterial and archaeal community profile was observed between the DNA and RNA level, which was also reflected in a different relation with the δ13CH4 and δ13CO2 values. This shows that isotope fractionation in the biogas can predict process stability in anaerobic digestion, as it directly reflects shifts in the total and active microbial community, yet, due to its temporal character, further validation is needed.

Electrochemical Ammonia Recovery from Source-Separated Urine for Microbial Protein Production.

Conventional plant and meat protein production have low nitrogen usage efficiencies and high energy needs. Microbial protein (MP) is an alternative that offers higher nitrogen conversion efficiencies with low energy needs if nitrogen is recovered from a concentrated waste source such as source-separated urine. An electrochemical cell (EC) was optimized for ammonia recovery as NH3/H2 gas mixtures usable for MP production. Undiluted hydrolyzed urine was fed to the caustic-generating cathode compartment for ammonia stripping with redirection to the anode compartment for additional ammonium extraction. Using synthetic urine at 48 A m-2 the nitrogen removal efficiency reached 91.6 ± 2.1%. Tests with real urine at 20 A m-2, achieved 87.1 ± 6.0% and 68.4 ± 14.6% requiring 5.8 and 13.9 kWh kg N-1 recovered, via absorption in acid or MP medium, respectively. Energy savings through accompanying electrolytic H2 and O2 production were accounted for. Subsequently, MP was grown in fed-batch on MP medium with conventional NH4+ or urine-derived NH3 yielding 3.74 ± 1.79 and 4.44 ± 1.59 g CDW L-1, respectively. Dissolution of gaseous NH3 in MP medium maintained neutral pH in the MP reactor preventing caustic addition and thus salt accumulation. Urine-nitrogen could thus be valorized as MP via electrochemical ammonia recovery.

Perspectives for microbial community composition in anaerobic digestion: from abundance and activity to connectivity.

Microbial management in anaerobic digestion is mainly focused on physically present and metabolically active species. Because of its complexity and operation near the thermodynamic equilibria, it is equally important to address functional regulation, based on spatial organisation and interspecies communication. Further establishment of the knowledge on microbial communication in anaerobic digestion through quorum sensing and nanowires is needed. Methods to detect centres of concentrated activity, related to the presence of highly active and well-connected species that take a central role in the anaerobic digestion process, have to be optimized. Bioaugmentation could serve as a crucial tool to introduce keystone species that may create or sustain such centres. Functional stability can be maintained by keeping the microbial community active. This results in a clear trade-off between functionally active and redundant microorganisms as primary basis for microbial community organization. Finally, a microbial community based prediction strategy for advanced process control is formulated.

Enrichment of Methanosaetaceae on carbon felt and biochar during anaerobic digestion of a potassium-rich molasses stream.

Biorefineries allow the production of value-added chemicals, yet this also causes the formation of considerable amounts of wastewater that require suitable treatment. These biorefinery wastewaters often contain a high salinity, which inhibits methanogenesis. In this research, molasses were used to mimic these waste streams to evaluate their treatability by anaerobic digestion. Two different carrier materials, i.e., carbon felt and biochar, with similar surface properties were evaluated for their potential to stabilize anaerobic digestion of these wastewaters via active enrichment of the methanogenic community. Initial stable methane production values between 620 and 640 mL CH4 L(-1) day(-1) were reported in each treatment. At the end of the experiment, methane production decreased with more than 50 %, while VFA increased to values up to 20 g COD L(-1), indicating severe process failure, due to the high potassium concentration in these wastewaters, irrespective of the presence of carrier material. However, an increased relative abundance of Methanosaetaceae both on the biochar and carbon felt was observed. In conclusion, this research demonstrated that carbon felt and biochar are both suitable carrier materials for selective enrichment of Methanosaetaceae, yet this did not lead to stable anaerobic digestion of a potassium-rich molasses waste stream. The increased relative abundance of Methanosaetaceae on both carrier materials can, nonetheless, be considered valuable in terms of alternative applications and warrants further research.

Electrochemical nutrient recovery enables ammonia toxicity control and biogas desulfurization in anaerobic digestion.

Organic waste streams can be valorized and reduced in volume with anaerobic digestion (AD). An often-encountered key issue however is the high ammonium (NH4(+)) content of certain waste streams. Ammonia (NH3), in equilibrium with NH4(+), is a toxic compound to the methanogenic community, which limits the organic loading rate and endangers process stability. An electrochemical system (ES) linked to a digester could, besides recovering this nutrient, decrease NH3 toxicity through electrochemical extraction. Therefore, two digesters with and without ES attached in the recirculation loop were operated to test whether the ES could control NH3 toxicity. During periods of high ammonium loading rates, the methane (CH4) production of the ES-coupled reactor was up to 4.5 times higher compared to the control, which could be explained through simultaneous NH4(+) extraction and electrochemical pH control. A nitrogen flux of 47 g N m(­2) membrane d(­1) could be obtained in the ES-coupled reactor, resulting in a current and removal efficiency of 38 ± 5% and 28 ± 2%, respectively, at an electrochemical power input of 17 ± 2 kWh kg(­1) N. The anode also oxidized sulfide, resulting in a significantly lower H2S emission via the biogas. Lastly, limited methanogenic community dynamics pointed to a nonselective influence of the different operational conditions.

Inoculum selection is crucial to ensure operational stability in anaerobic digestion.

Anaerobic digestion is considered a key technology for the future bio-based economy. The microbial consortium carrying out the anaerobic digestion process is quite complex, and its exact role in terms of "elasticity", i.e., the ability to rapidly adapt to changing conditions, is still unknown. In this study, the role of the initial microbial community in terms of operational stability and stress tolerance was evaluated during a 175-day experiment. Five different inocula from stable industrial anaerobic digesters were fed a mixture of waste activated sludge and glycerol. Increasing ammonium pulses were applied to evaluate stability and stress tolerance. A different response in terms of start-up and ammonium tolerance was observed among the different inocula. Methanosaetaceae were the dominant acetoclastic methanogens, yet, Methanosarcinaceae increased in abundance at elevated ammonium concentrations. A shift from a Firmicutes to a Proteobacteria dominated bacterial community was observed in failing digesters. Methane production was strongly positively correlated with Methanosaetaceae, but also with Bacteria related to Anaerolinaceae, Clostridiales, and Alphaproteobacteria. Volatile fatty acids were strongly positively correlated with Betaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, yet ammonium concentration only with Bacteroidetes. Overall, these results indicate the importance of inoculum selection to ensure stable operation and stress tolerance in anaerobic digestion.

Co-digestion of molasses or kitchen waste with high-rate activated sludge results in a diverse microbial community with stable methane production.

Kitchen waste and molasses are organic waste streams with high organic content, and therefore are interesting substrates for renewable energy production by means of anaerobic digestion. Both substrates, however, often cause inhibition of the anaerobic digestion process, when treated separately, hence, co-digestion with other substrates is required to ensure stable methane production. In this research, A-sludge (sludge harvested from a high rate activated sludge system) was used to stabilize co-digestion with kitchen waste or molasses. Lab-scale digesters were fed with A-sludge and kitchen waste or molasses for a total period of 105 days. Increased methane production values revealed a stabilizing effect of concentrated A-sludge on kitchen waste digestion. Co-digestion of molasses with A-sludge also resulted in a higher methane production. Volumetric methane production rates up to 1.53 L L(-1) d(-1) for kitchen waste and 1.01 L L(-1) d(-1) for molasses were obtained by co-digestion with A-sludge. The stabilizing effect of A-sludge was attributed to its capacity to supplement various nutrients. Microbial community results demonstrated that both reactor conditions and substrate composition determined the nature of the bacterial community, although there was no direct influence of micro-organisms in the substrate itself, while the methanogenic community profile remained constant as long as optimal conditions were maintained.

Greenhouse gas emissions from rice microcosms amended with a plant microbial fuel cell.

Methane (CH4) release from wetlands is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions. Gas exchange occurs mainly through the aerenchyma of plants, and production of greenhouse gases is heavily dependent on rhizosphere biogeochemical conditions (i.e. substrate availability and redox potential). It is hypothesized that by introducing a biocatalyzed anode electrode in the rhizosphere of wetland plants, a competition for carbon and electrons can be invoked between electrical current-generating bacteria and methanogenic Archaea. The anode electrode is part of a bioelectrochemical system (BES) capable of harvesting electrical current from microbial metabolism. In this work, the anode of a BES was introduced in the rhizosphere of rice plants (Oryza sativa), and the impact on methane emissions was monitored. Microbial current generation was able to outcompete methanogenic processes when the bulk matrix contained low concentrations of organic carbon, provided that the electrical circuit with the effective electroactive microorganisms was in place. When interrupting the electrical circuit or supplying an excess of organic carbon, methanogenic metabolism was able to outcompete current generating metabolism. The qPCR results showed hydrogenotrophic methanogens were the most abundant methanogenic group present, while mixotrophic or acetoclastic methanogens were hardly detected in the bulk rhizosphere or on the electrodes. Competition for electron donor and acceptor were likely the main drivers to lower methane emissions. Overall, electrical current generation with BESs is an interesting option to control CH4 emissions from wetlands but needs to be applied in combination with other mitigation strategies to be successful and feasible in practice.

Evaluation of solid polymeric organic materials for use in bioreactive sediment capping to stimulate the degradation of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons.

In situ bioreactive capping is a promising technology for mitigation of surface water contamination by discharging polluted groundwater. Organohalide respiration (OHR) of chlorinated ethenes in bioreactive caps can be stimulated through incorporation of solid polymeric organic materials (SPOMs) that provide a sustainable electron source for organohalide respiring bacteria. In this study, wood chips, hay, straw, tree bark and shrimp waste, were assessed for their long term applicability as an electron donor for OHR of cis-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) in sediment microcosms. The initial release of fermentation products, such as acetate, propionate and butyrate led to the onset of extensive methane production especially in microcosms amended with shrimp waste, straw and hay, while no considerable stimulation of VC dechlorination was obtained in any of the SPOM amended microcosms. However, in the longer term, short chain fatty acids accumulation decreased as well as methanogenesis, whereas high dechlorination rates of VC and cDCE were established with concomitant increase of Dehalococcoides mccartyi and vcrA and bvcA gene numbers both in the sediment and on the SPOMs. A numeric simulation indicated that a capping layer of 40 cm with hay, straw, tree bark or shrimp waste is suffice to reduce the groundwater VC concentration below the threshold level of 5 µg/l before discharging into the Zenne River, Belgium. Of all SPOMs, the persistent colonization of tree bark by D. mccartyi combined with the lowest stimulation of methanogenesis singled out tree bark as a long-term electron donor for OHR of cDCE/VC in bioreactive caps.

MiDAS 5: Global diversity of bacteria and archaea in anaerobic digesters.

Anaerobic digestion of organic waste into methane and carbon dioxide (biogas) is carried out by complex microbial communities. Here, we use full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 285 full-scale anaerobic digesters (ADs) to expand our knowledge about diversity and function of the bacteria and archaea in ADs worldwide. The sequences are processed into full-length 16S rRNA amplicon sequence variants (FL-ASVs) and are used to expand the MiDAS 4 database for bacteria and archaea in wastewater treatment systems, creating MiDAS 5. The expansion of the MiDAS database increases the coverage for bacteria and archaea in ADs worldwide, leading to improved genus- and species-level classification. Using MiDAS 5, we carry out an amplicon-based, global-scale microbial community profiling of the sampled ADs using three common sets of primers targeting different regions of the 16S rRNA gene in bacteria and/or archaea. We reveal how environmental conditions and biogeography shape the AD microbiota. We also identify core and conditionally rare or abundant taxa, encompassing 692 genera and 1013 species. These represent 84-99% and 18-61% of the accumulated read abundance, respectively, across samples depending on the amplicon primers used. Finally, we examine the global diversity of functional groups with known importance for the anaerobic digestion process.

Steering the product spectrum in high-pressure anaerobic processes: CO2 partial pressure as a novel tool in biorefinery concepts.

BACKGROUND: Elevated CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) has been proposed as a potential steering parameter for selective carboxylate production in mixed culture fermentation. It is anticipated that intermediate product spectrum and production rates, as well as changes in the microbial community, are (in)directly influenced by elevated pCO2. However, it remains unclear how pCO2 interacts with other operational conditions, namely substrate specificity, substrate-to-biomass (S/X) ratio and the presence of an additional electron donor, and what effect pCO2 has on the exact composition of fermentation products. Here, we investigated possible steering effects of elevated pCO2 combined with (1) mixed substrate (glycerol/glucose) provision; (2) subsequent increments in substrate concentration to increase the S/X ratio; and (3) formate as an additional electron donor. RESULTS: Metabolite predominance, e.g., propionate vs. butyrate/acetate, and cell density, depended on interaction effects between pCO2-S/X ratio and pCO2-formate. Individual substrate consumption rates were negatively impacted by the interaction effect between pCO2-S/X ratio and were not re-established after lowering the S/X ratio and adding formate. The product spectrum was influenced by the microbial community composition, which in turn, was modified by substrate type and the interaction effect between pCO2-formate. High propionate and butyrate levels strongly correlated with Negativicutes and Clostridia predominance, respectively. After subsequent pressurized fermentation phases, the interaction effect between pCO2-formate enabled a shift from propionate towards succinate production when mixed substrate was provided. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, interaction effects between elevated pCO2, substrate specificity, high S/X ratio and availability of reducing equivalents from formate, rather than an isolated pCO2 effect, modified the proportionality of propionate, butyrate and acetate in pressurized mixed substrate fermentations at the expense of reduced consumption rates and increased lag-phases. The interaction effect between elevated pCO2 and formate was beneficial for succinate production and biomass growth with a glycerol/glucose mixture as the substrate. The positive effect may be attributed to the availability of extra reducing equivalents, likely enhanced carbon fixating activity and hindered propionate conversion due to increased concentration of undissociated carboxylic acids.

Functional conservation of microbial communities determines composition predictability in anaerobic digestion.

A major challenge in managing and engineering microbial communities is determining whether and how microbial community responses to environmental alterations can be predicted and explained, especially in microorganism-driven systems. We addressed this challenge by monitoring microbial community responses to the periodic addition of the same feedstock throughout anaerobic digestion, a typical microorganism-driven system where microorganisms degrade and transform the feedstock. The immediate and delayed response consortia were assemblages of microorganisms whose abundances significantly increased on the first or third day after feedstock addition. The immediate response consortia were more predictable than the delayed response consortia and showed a reproducible and predictable order-level composition across multiple feedstock additions. These results stood in both present (16 S rRNA gene) and potentially active (16 S rRNA) microbial communities and in different feedstocks with different biodegradability and were validated by simulation modeling. Despite substantial species variability, the immediate response consortia aligned well with the reproducible CH4 production, which was attributed to the conservation of expressed functions by the response consortia throughout anaerobic digestion, based on metatranscriptomic data analyses. The high species variability might be attributed to intraspecific competition and contribute to biodiversity maintenance and functional redundancy. Our results demonstrate reproducible and predictable microbial community responses and their importance in stabilizing system functions.

The microbiology of Power-to-X applications.

Power-to-X (P2X) technologies will play a more important role in the conversion of electric power to storable energy carriers, commodity chemicals and even food and feed. Among the different P2X technologies, microbial components form cornerstones of individual process steps. This review comprehensively presents the state-of-the-art of different P2X technologies from a microbiological standpoint. We are focusing on microbial conversions of hydrogen from water electrolysis to methane, other chemicals and proteins. We present the microbial toolbox needed to gain access to these products of interest, assess its current status and research needs, and discuss potential future developments that are needed to turn todays P2X concepts into tomorrow's technologies.