Biological degradation of potato pulp waste and microbial community structure in microbial fuel cells

The microbial electrochemical cell (MEC) is a promising waste treatment technology to accomplish simultaneous alternative energy production and degradation of organic matters. Potato pulp waste (PPW) from a potato processing plant contains a large amount of carbohydrates that need be degradated before discharge into the environment. Here, we describe electricity generation in singlechamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using PPW. Different organic loadings of PPW influenced obviously the power output of MFCs. The maximum power density of 32.1 0.5 W m 3 was obtained in a MFC fed with 10 g L 1 PPW. Microbial community analysis based on high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene indicated that the predominant populations were obviously different in the MFCs. The syntrophic interactions between polysaccharide-degrading bacteria and exoelectrogens in the anode biofilms drove the cascade utilization of potato pulp waste in MFCs.