Anaerobic ammonium oxidation with an anode as the electron acceptor was realized in a dual-chamber microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). Nitrate was the main product that accounted for approximately 95% of ammonium consumed, but nitrite was also detectable. Using 16S ribosomal RNA analysis, we found that the microbial community attached to the electrode was dominated by Nitrosomonas europaea (40.3...

1. The Defra Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination Group has prepared the attached paper summarising the actions taken to address the recommendations in the ACMSF 1999 Report on Microbial Antibiotic Resistance in Relation to Food Safety. Members may wish to read this paper in conjunction with the recommendations and Government’s response paper which has been circulated as an Information Paper (...

This study describes and evaluates a computational model for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) based on redox mediators with several populations of suspended and attached biofilm microorganisms, and multiple dissolved chemical species. A number of biological, chemical and electrochemical reactions can occur in the bulk liquid, in the biofilm and at the electrode surface. The evolution in time of impo...

With an aim to shorten start-up time of an Anaerobic Hybrid Reactor (AHR), initial biofilm development was studied, particularly at different upflow feeding velocities. At a low (0.01 m x h(-1)) upflow velocity, initial biofilm was found to develop via the attachment of suspended biomass in the packed zone, while microbial growth on the film was insignificant. Contrarily, with higher (1.0 m x h...

A microbe is an organism that has all it needs for a complete life cycle in one single cell. Many microbial species may under appropriate circumstances form multi-cellular structures, sometimes with morphological and metabolic differentiations between the different cells making up a bio-structure. Growth by cell division is the most common way of microbe propagation. The microbes outnumber mult...

Previous studies have suggested that members of the Geobacteraceae can use electrodes as electron acceptors for anaerobic respiration. In order to better understand this electron transfer process for energy production, Geobacter sulfurreducens was inoculated into chambers in which a graphite electrode served as the sole electron acceptor and acetate or hydrogen was the electron donor. The elect...

Microbial extracellular heteropolysaccharides are mainly linear molecules to which side chains of varying length and complexity are attached at regular intervals. Examination of 'families' of microbial exopolysacchaiide with closely related structures enables us to determine the effect of minor (or major) changes to structure on the physical properties of these macromolecules. Changes may also ...

We report low-temperature microbial precipitation of dolomite in dilute natural waters from both field and laboratory experiments. In a freshwater aquifer, microorganisms colonize basalt and nucleate nonstoichiometric dolomite on cell walls. In the laboratory, ordered dolomite formed at near-equilibrium conditions from groundwater with molar Mg:Ca ratios of ,1; dolomite was absent in sterile ex...

Direct microscopic examination of the rumen and its contents shows microbial populations largely attached to feed particles in the digesta. Most feeds contain a surface layer that is resistant to attachment and therefore to digestion. Infiltration of these recalcitrant epidermal layers through damage sites or through focused enzymatic attack is essential for initiation of the digestive process....