Metagenomic insights into the inhibitory mechanisms of Cu on fermentative hydrogen production

Cao, J., Duan, G., Lin, A., Zhou, Y., You, S. , Wong, J. W.C. and Yang, G. (2023) Metagenomic insights into the inhibitory mechanisms of Cu on fermentative hydrogen production. Bioresource Technology, 380, 129080. (doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129080) (PMID:37094620)

Abstract

Cu is widely present in the feedstocks of dark fermentation, which can inhibit H2 production efficiency of the process. However, current understanding on the inhibitory mechanisms of Cu, especially the microbiological mechanism, is still lacking. This study investigated the inhibitory mechanisms of Cu2+ on fermentative hydrogen production by metagenomics sequencing. Results showed that the exposure to Cu2+ reduced the abundances of high-yielding hydrogen-producing genera (e.g. Clostridium sensu stricto), and remarkably down-regulated the genes involved in substrate membrane transport (e.g., gtsA, gtsB and gtsC), glycolysis (e.g. PK, ppgK and pgi-pmi), and hydrogen formation (e.g. pflA, fdoG, por and E1.12.7.2), leading to significant inhibition on the process performances. The H2 yield was reduced from 1.49 mol H2/mol-glucose to 0.59 and 0.05 mol H2/mol-glucose upon exposure to 500 and 1000 mg/L of Cu2+, respectively. High concentrations of Cu2+ also reduced the rate of H2 production and prolonged the H2-producing lag phase.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41991332), the Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province, China (No. 2021CXGC010803), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2022M713307).
• Keywords: Cu, fermentative hydrogen production, inhibition, microbial community structure, metagenomic analysis.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: You, Dr Siming

Creator Roles

You, S.: Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Cao, J., Duan, G., Lin, A., Zhou, Y., You, S., Wong, J. W.C., and Yang, G.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: Bioresource Technology
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0960-8524
• ISSN (Online): 1873-2976
• Published Online: 23 April 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd.
• First Published: First published in Bioresource Technology 380: 129080
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy