Electrochemical properties of electrodes with different shapes and diffusion kinetic analysis of microbial fuel cells on ocean floor

Microbial fuel cell(MFC) on the ocean floor is a kind of novel energy-harvesting device that can be developed to drive small instruments to work continuously.The shape of electrode has a great effect on the performance of the MFC.In this paper,several shapes of electrode and cell structure were designed,and their performance in MFC were compared in pairs:Mesh(cell-1) vs.flat plate(cell-2),branch(cell-3) vs.cylinder(cell-4),and forest(cell-5) vs.disk(cell-6) FC.Our results showed that the maximum power densities were 16.50,14.20,19.30,15.00,14.64,and 9.95 mWm-2 for cell-1,2,3,4,5 and 6 respectively.And the corre-sponding diffusion-limited currents were 7.16,2.80,18.86,10.50,18.00,and 6.900 mA.The mesh and branch anodes showed higher power densities and much higher diffusion-limited currents than the flat plate and the cylinder anodes respectively due to the low diffusion hindrance with the former anodes.The forest cathode improved by 47% of the power density and by 161% of diffusion-limited current than the disk cathode due to the former’s extended solid/liquid/gas three-phase boundary.These results indicated that the shape of electrode is a major parameter that determining the diffusion-limited current of an MFC,and the differences in the elec-trode shape lead to the differences in cell performance.These results would be useful for MFC structure design in practical applica-tions.     

Analysis of cultivable aerobic bacterial community composition and screening for facultative sulfate-reducing bacteria in marine corrosive steel

Anaerobic, aerobic, and facultative bacteria are all present in corrosive environments. However,as previous studies to address corrosion in the marine environment have largely focused on anaerobic bacteria, limited attention has been paid to the composition and function of aerobic and facultative bacteria in this process. For analysis in this study, ten samples were collected from rust layers on steel plates that had been immersed in seawater for dif ferent periods(i.e., six months and eight years) at Sanya and Xiamen,China. The cultivable aerobic bacterial community structure as well as the number of sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB) were analyzed in both cases, while the proportion of facultative SRB among the isolated aerobic bacteria in each sample was also evaluated using a novel approach. Bacterial abundance results show that the proportions are related to sea location and immersion time; abundances of culturable aerobic bacteria(CAB) and SRB from Sanya were greater in most corrosion samples than those from Xiamen,and abundances of both bacterial groups were greater in samples immersed for six months than for eight years. A total of 213 isolates were obtained from all samples in terms of CAB community composition,and a phylogenetic analysis revealed that the taxa comprised four phyla and 31 genera. Bacterial species composition is related to marine location; the results show that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla, accounting for 98.13% of the total, while Bacillus and Vibrio were the dominant genera,accounting for 53.06% of the total. An additional six facultative SRB strains were also screened from the isolates obtained and were found to encompass the genus Vibrio(four strains), Staphylococcus(one strain),and Photobacterium(one strain). It is noteworthy that mentions of Photobacterium species have so far been absent from the literature, both in terms of its membership of the SRB group and its relationship to corrosion.     

EFFECT OF SULPHATE-REDUCING BACTERIA ON ELECTRO-CHEMICAL CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF 16Mn STEEL IN SEA MUD

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＩｔｗａｓｇｅｎｅｒａｌｌｙｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒｅｄｐｒｅｖｉｏｕｓｌｙｔｈａｔｔｈｅｃｏｒｒｏｓｉｏｎｏｆｓｔｅｅｌｉｎｓｅａｍｕｄｗａｓｎｏｔｓｅｒｉｏｕｓ.Ｈｏｗｅｖｅｒ,ｉｔｗａｓｌａｔｅｒｆｏｕｎｄｔｈａｔｔｈｅｃｏｒｒｏｓｉｏｎｒａｔｅｏｆｓｔｅｅｌｉｎｓｏｍｅｓｅａｍｕｄｗａｓｈｉｇｈｅｒｔｈａｎｔｈａｔｉｎｓｅａｗａｔｅｒ(Ｋｉｎｇ,1980;Ｓｅｈｍｉｄｅ,1982;Ｇｕｏｅｔａｌ.,1997;Ｈｏｕ,1998).Ｔｈｅｒｅａｒｅｓｏｍｅｒｅｐｏｒｔｓｔｈａｔｔｈｅｃｏｒｒｏｓｉｏｎｒ…     

Effects of anaerobe in sea bottom sediment on the corrosion of carbon steel

hacteria(SRB)canbeashighastenhmesthainseahattOInsetlimentwithouSRB.Theex-perimentsinsimulatingseahattmsedimentswithdifferentconcenhations0fcultUredSRBsh0WedthatheelecthehendcalpoariZaionbehavi0ur0fsteelinseahatt()msedimentwithandwithouSRBwerefferent.SRBalteredthepoarizationbehavi0ur0fsteelsignificanilbyaciopingtheenvironments0thaaP-parenthydrogendepoallzationoccurredandacceleratedthec0meionofsteel.Keywofor:anaerohe,seab0ttomsediment,steelINTRODUCTIONAnaerobesaregenerallypresentins…     

Molecular survey of sulphate-reducing bacteria in the deep-sea sediments of the west Pacific Warm Pool

The sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) community in the deep-sea sediments of the west Pacific Warm Pool (WP) was surveyed by molecular phylogenetic analyses using primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene fragments of SRB. Specific 16S rRNA gene libraries from five sediment layers (1-cm, 3-cm, 6-cm, 10-cm and 12-cm layer) of the 12-cm core of WP-0 were constructed. The clones in the five libraries were differentiated by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and representative clones were selected to sequence. It was found that the clones fell into four groups, which were closest related to Desulfotomaculum, Desul- facinum, Desulfomonile and Desulfanuticus. Desulfacinum-like clones were only detected in the upper layers of the sediment core, whereas Desulfomonile-like clones were only present in the deeper layers. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was further carried out to visualize and count the SRB and bacteria in the five sediment layers. It was found that SRB constituted only a small proportion of the bacteria community (0.34%-1.95%), it had the highest content in the 3-cm layer (1.95%) and had a depth- related decreasing tendency along the 12- cm core.     

Partial function prediction of sulfate-reducing bacterial community from the rhizospheres of two typical coastal wetland plants in China

Sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB) are ubiquitous anaerobic microorganisms that play significant roles in the global biogeochemical cycle.Coastal wetlands,one of the major habitats of SRB,exhibit high sulfate-reducing activity and thus play significant roles in organic carbon remineralization,benthic geochemical action,and plant-microbe interactions.Recent studies have provided credible evidence that the functional rather than the taxonomic composition of microbes responds more closely to environmental factors.Therefore.in this study,functional gene prediction based on PacBio single molecular real-time sequencing of 16 S rDNA was applied to deterrmine the sulfate-reducing and organic substrate-decomposing activities of SRB in the rhizospheres of two typical coastal wetland plants in North and South China:Zostera japonica and Scirpus mariqueter.To this end,some physicochemical characteristics of the sediments as well as the phylogenetic structure,community composition,diversity,and proportions of several functional genes of the SRB in the two plant rhizosphere s were analyzed.The Z.japonica meadow had a higher dis similatory sulfate reduction capability than the S.mariqueter-comprising saltmarsh,owing to its larger proportion of SRB in the microbial community,larger proportions of functional genes involved in dissimilatory sulfate reduction,and the stronger ability of the SRB to degrade organic substrates completely.This study confirmed the feasibility of applying microbial community function prediction in research on the metabolic features of SRB,which will be helpful for gaining new knowledge of the biogeochemical and ecological roles of these bacteria in coastal wetlands.     

Molecular characterization of sulfate-reducing bacteria community in surface sediments from the adjacent area of Changjiang Estuary

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which obtain energy from dissimilatory sulfate reduction, play a vital role in the carbon and sulfur cycles. The dissimilatory sulfite reductase (Dsr), catalyzing the last step in the sulfate reduction pathway, has been found in all known SRB that have been tested so far. In this study, the diversity of SRB was investigated in the surface sediments from the adjacent area of Changjiang Estuary by PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing of the dissimilatory sulfite reductase beta subunit gene (dsrB). Based on dsrB clone libraries constructed in this study, diversified SRB were found, represented by 173 unique OTUs. Certain cloned sequences were associated with Desulfobacteraceae, Desulfobulbaceae, and a large fraction (60%) of novel sequences that have deeply branched groups in the dsrB tree, indicating that novel SRB inhabit the surface sediments. In addition, correlations of the SRB assemblages with environmental factors were analyzed by the linear model-based redundancy analysis (RDA). The result revealed that temperature, salinity and the content of TOC were most closely correlated with the SRB communities. More information on SRB community was obtained by applying the utility of UniFrac to published dsrB gene sequences from this study and other 9 different kinds of marine environments. The results demonstrated that there were highly similar SRB genotypes in the marine and estuarine sediments, and that geographic positions and environmental factors influenced the SRB community distribution.     

附加GIM约束的全球电离层建模

针对目前地基GNSS台站在全球分布不均匀,导致南半球海洋和中高纬地区出现与实际不符的VTEC为负值的问题,利用IGS前1 d的最终GIM作为虚拟观测值对TEC可能为负值的地区进行约束,结合GNSS数据建立全球电离层模型(称为SGG模型),并用2014年200多个IGS台站数据对模型进行验证。结果表明,各台站VTEC的RMS优于3 TECu(赤道异常区域RMS在5~7 TECu)。同时SGG能有效消除南半球海洋(40°~90°S)VTEC为负的情况,且对原有非负VTEC几乎没有影响(其变化小于2 TECu)。SGG的卫星DCB与CODE 相比,RMS和MEAN分别优于0.2 ns和0.04 ns,不同纬度带SGG与CODE的接收机DCB估值变化基本一致,两者之差基本在1 ns以内。     

Corrosion behavior of anodic oxidized TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> film in seawater

TiO₂ films were formed on metallic titanium substrates by the anodic oxidation method in H₂SO₄ solution under the 80V D.C.. Phase component and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Water contact angles on titanium oxide film surface were measured under both dark and sunlight illumination conditions. Corrosion tests were carried out in seawater under different illumination conditions by electrochemistry impedance spectrum (EIS) and polarization curves. The result showed that the TiO₂ film prepared by the anodic oxidation method was anatase with a uniform structure and without obvious pores or cracks on its surface. The average water contact angle of the film was 116.4° in dark, in contrast to an angle of 42.7° under the UV illumination for 2 hours, which demonstrates good hydrophobic property. The anti-corrosion behavior of the TiO₂ film was declining with the extended immersion time. Under dark conditions, however, the hydrophobic TiO₂ film retarded the water infiltrating into the substrate. The impedance changed slowly and the corrosion current density was 2 orders of magnitude lower than that with the film illuminated by sunlight. All of those mentioned above indicate that the TiO₂ film possesses much better performance under dark condition, and it can be applied as an engineering material under dark seawater environment.     

Corrosion Behavior of Anodic Oxidized TiO_2 Film in Seawater

TiO2 films were formed on metallic titanium substrates by the anodic oxidation method in H2SO4 solution under the 80V D.C..Phase component and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Water contact angles on titanium oxide film surface were measured under both dark and sunlight illumination conditions.Corrosion tests were carried out in seawater under different illumination conditions by electrochemistry impedance spectrum (EIS) and polarization curves.The result showed that the TiO2 film prepared by the anodic oxidation method was anatase with a uniform structure and without obvious pores or cracks on its surface.The average water contact angle of the film was 116.4? in dark, in contrast to an angle of 42.7? under the UV illumination for 2 hours, which demonstrates good hydrophobic property.The anti-corrosion behavior of the TiO2 film was declining with the extended immersion time.Under dark conditions, however, the hydrophobic TiO2 film retarded the water infiltrating into the substrate.The impedance changed slowly and the corrosion current density was 2 orders of magnitude lower than that with the film illuminated by sunlight.All of those mentioned above indicate that the TiO2 film possesses much better performance under dark condition, and it can be applied as an engineering material under dark seawater environment.     

基于不同类型电极的地电场变化与活动断裂关系

通过分析铅电极和固体不极化电极测量的地电场变化特征、地面场与区域气压及测向与附近断裂走向的关系等发现:1)2种地电场与断裂走向近垂直的测向日变幅相对较小,与断裂走向近平行的测向日变幅相对较大;2)活动断裂附近,基于铅电极测量的地电场有气压非周期变化形态,且各测向地电场和气压变化的相关性与测向和附近断裂走向的夹角有关,夹...     

Humic Acid and Iron Chelation Modified Anode Improves the Electrochemical Performance of Marine Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell

Marine sediment microbial fuel cell(MSMFCs)can be utilized as a long lasting power source to drive small instruments to work for long time on ocean floor and its higher power has a significant meaning for practical application.Anode modification can greatly improve the performance of MSMFCs.Herein,humic acid(HA)and humic acid-iron ion complex(HA-Fe)were used to modify the anode for constructing a better MSMFCs.The results indicated that HA-Fe modified anode,better than HA modification,significantly improved the MSMFCs cell power output.The maximum power density of HA-Fe modified MSMFCs is 165.3 mW m?2,which are 6.5-folds of blank MSMFCs.The number of microorganisms on anode,redox activity,and relative kinetic activity were 1.8-,6.1-,and 13.1-folds of blank MSMFCs,respectively.The MSMFCs improvement would be attributed to the electron transfer media of HA and the valence conversion of Fe ions.A synergistic interaction between the naturally occurring HA and Fe ions on the anodic surface in marine sediments would make the modified anodes have‘renewable’characteristics,which is beneficial for the MSMFCs to maintain its long-term higher power.     

近岸带波浪传播过程中波性质的统计对比分析

通过对粤东后江湾近岸带垂岸方向上4个测站,同步观测到的波浪数据进行频域统计分析,初步探讨分析了波浪近岸传播过程中波浪统计性质的变化规律。结果表明:碎波带内波的频谱多峰特征显著,峰频两侧均存在着显著能量峰值,峰频能量发生转移;波浪经过破碎后,约束长波能量被释放出来;波浪向岸过程中谱宽度(ε)变大,同时谱尖度(Qp)减小,显著波陡(Ss)增大,峰值周期(Tp)增大,平均周期(Tm02)减小。     

The apparent copper complexing capacity of seawater and the interaction of copper with humic matter

The anodic stripping voltammetry with physically-coating mercury film electrode was used to investigate the complexing action of trace heavy metals in seawater with organic ligands. The apparent copper complexing capacity of seawater was determined by titrating the organic ligands in natural seawater with standard ionic copper solution. The complexing actions of copper in seawater with humic acid (HA) or fulvic acid (FA) were investigated by titrating copper in seawater with HA or FA solution. The equilibrium time, electrodeposition potential, and effect of pH etc. were investigated respectively. The results show that the interaction of copper in seawater with organic matter is a fast process. At natural pH, HA or FA tend to act with copper in seawater to form nonlabile complexes. During experimental electrode process, these complexes did not significantly dissociate. The experimental results were calculated according to 1∶1 complex formation.     

A comparison of the bacterial microflora between coastal sites in Qingdao, P. R. China and Loch Fyne, Scotland

Aerobic, heterotrophic bacteria, recovered from two sites located on the west coast of Scotland, were compared to cultures obtained in a similar way from industrial, aquacultural and clean sites in the vicinity of Qingdao, Shandong, P. R. China. Gram-negative bacterial cultures were examined by BIOLOG-GN, and the data analysed by the simple matching (S_SM) and Jaccard coefficients (S_J) and unweighted average linkage clustering using NTSys. The output revealed that 20% of the bacteria, namely, Acinetobacter johnsonii, Aquaspirillum dispar, Pseudomonas spp. (two groups), Sphingobacterium sp., Vibrio, sp., V. campbellii, V. mimicus and V. hollisae, were common between the two geographical locations. However, the study revealed shortcomings with the BIOLOG-GN system for the study of coastal Gram-negative bacteria.     

Contribution of trimethylamine N-oxide on the growth and pressure tolerance of deep-sea bacteria

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is widely dispersed in marine environments and plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. Diverse marine bacteria utilize TMAO as carbon and nitrogen sources or as electron acceptor in anaerobic respiration. Alteration of respiratory component according to the pressure is a common trait of deep-sea bacteria. Deep-sea bacteria from different genera harbor high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) inducible TMAO reductases that are assumed to be constitutively expressed in the deep-sea piezosphere and facilitating quick reaction to TMAO released from fish which is a potential nutrient for bacterial growth. However, whether deep-sea bacteria universally employ this strategy remains unknown. In this study, 237 bacterial strains affiliated to 23 genera of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were isolated from seawater, sediment or amphipods collected at different depths. The pressure tolerance and the utilization of TMAO were examined in 74 strains. The results demonstrated no apparent correlation between the depth where the bacteria inhabit and their pressure tolerance, regarding to our samples. Several deep-sea strains from the genera of Alteromonas, Halomonas, Marinobacter, Photobacterium, and Vibrio showed capacity of TMAO utilization, but none of the isolated Acinebacter, Bacillus, Brevundimonas, Muricauda, Novosphingobium, Rheinheimera, Sphingobium and Stenotrophomonas did, indicating the utilization of TMAO is a species-specific feature. Furthermore, we noticed that the ability of TMAO utilization varied among strains of the same species. TMAO has greater impact on the growth of deep-sea isolates of Vibrio neocaledonicus than shallow-water isolates. Taken together, the results describe for the first time the TMAO utilization in deep-sea bacterial strains, and expand our understanding of the physiological characteristic of marine bacteria.

     

The Study of the Varying Characteristics of Cathodic Regions for Defective Coating in 3.5% Sodium Chloride Solution by EIS and WBE

The current distributions over carbon steel under iron red alkyd primer exposed to 3.5% sodium chloride solution were mapped using the wire beam electrode(WBE). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) of the WBE was carried out to analyze the performance of coating delamination and corrosion behavior of carbon steel beneath defective coating. The EIS data revealed that protective capability of coating decreased with immersion time and the degree of cathodic delamination showed a rapid rise. The current density distribution of WBE indicated that cathodic sites was located at the defect at the beginning of immersion and gradually spread into the intact coating. The cathodic regions were distinguished from the anodic area and distributed over the WBE. The changes of cathodic sites could reflect the deterioration process of defective coating. The cathodic area ratio was a more useful parameter than the cathodic delamination degree to evaluate the coating cathodic delamination. The polarity reversals of electrodes at the defect and beneath coating were observed. A simple discussion of relationship between the blister and the polarity reversal was made from a standpoint of electrochemical distribution. WBE method was able to map and record the changes of local cathodic sites beneath defective coating in real time, which could provide more detailed information about the local degradation of coating.     

Pulsed export of carbon in the north-western Mediterranean Sea

The short term (hourly scale) variability of heterotrophic prokaryote (HP) vertical distribution and respiratory activity, was investigated in the north-western (NW) Mediterranean Sea. HP vertical distribution was determined on board by flow cytometry analysis of seawater samples collected by series of CTD casts. Cell counts and viability were determined for all samples. HP respiratory rates were determined later in the laboratory from filtered seawater samples (23 dm³) from 300–1 150-m depth. The average cell viability was 94.8%±2.2% (n=240). There was no accumulation of dead cells, due to quick decay of damaged cells. In the epipelagic layer, three HP groups were distinguished, two (HNA1, HNA2) whose cells exhibited a high nucleic acid content and one (LNA) with low nucleic acid content cells. HNA2 was most populated at 50 m but not detected at 90 m and below, presumably aerobic anoxygenic photoheterotrophic bacteria (AAPs). The variability in HP abundance was mainly confined in the upper 80 m. A few secondary peaks of HP abundance were observed (80–150 m) in connection with abundance troughs in the surface layer. HP cells were continuously present in a wide layer around 500 m (mean 191×10³ cells/cm³). Below this layer, HP abundance randomly exhibited peaks, coupled to respiratory rate peaks. The HP abundance and variability in the water column was suppressed during a strong wind event. The observed sporadic variability was tentatively interpreted through a pulsed carbon-export mechanism induced by the microorganism production of dissolved polysaccharides, followed by flocculation and rapid sinking. This mechanism would thus contribute to (i) preventing organic matter accumulation in the epipelagic layer, (ii) seeding the water column with live HP cells, and (iii) supplying the aphotic water column with fresh and labile organic matter. This important vertical flux mechanism needs further observations and modelling.

     

Adhesion mechanisms of Vibrio fluvialis to skin mucus of Epinephelus awoara

Vibrio fluvialis incubated in trypticase soy broth (TSB) showed stronger adhesion to the skin mucus of Epinephelus awoara than V. fluvialis grown on trypticase soy agar (TSA), and this bacterial adhesion was assessed in terms of saturation kinetics. Treating bacteria with antibody against O-antigens resulted in significantly reduced bacterial adhesion. In the early growth stage, the adhering bacteria numbers increased with incubation time, peaked at 24 h, and then dropped sharply. Prior heat treatment of the mucus at various temperatures resulted in different effects on bacterial adhesion. No remarkable effect on bacterial adhesion was detected after treating mucus with protease K and trypsin, whereas periodic acid treatment significantly enhanced bacterial adhesion. Extracts of V. fluvialis surface structures at high concentrations significantly inhibited bacterial adhesion, while relatively low concentrations enhanced adhesion. V. fluvialis had strong affinity for a high molecular weight mucus component. These results indicate that V. fluvialis adhered strongly to E. awoara mucus by specific adhesion and that this adhesion was influenced by many factors, including bacterial conditions, mucus, and the environment.     

Electrochemical evaluation of dissolution characteristics of Al-based sacrificial anodes in seawater

The surface dissolution characteristics of Al-based sacrificial anodes in seawater have never been expressed numerically except in words such as uniform dissolution, non-uniform dissolution, serious localized dissolution, etc. An electrochemical method was developed in our laboratory to evaluate the above mentioned characteristics quantitatively. The Al anode samples are polarized to −1000 mv (vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode) in seawater at 25±1°C, and anodic current-time curves are recorded simultaneously. Then the coulometric density was calculated with the aid of a planimeter. By comparing the coulometric densities of these samples, the surface dissolution characteristics of anodes can be evaluated quantitatively. Contribution No. 1447 from Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica