초록
<P>Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) has been considered as an effective mechanism to proceed syntrophic methanogenic metabolism. However, up to now, this working mode has been still not widely established in the <I>Geobacter</I>-rare methanogenic digesters. In this study, a strategy that could enrich <I>Geobacter</I> species and stimulate the methanogenic communities to continuously perform DIET was proposed in a two-phase anaerobic digestion (AD) system with the aim to enhance and stabilize the better AD. The results demonstrated that, under the conditions employed, the ethanol-abundant acidogenic products could be produced via ethanol-type fermentation when acidogenic-phase pH was kept at 4.0–4.5. Enrichments in the methanogenic phase continuously stimulated with the ethanol-abundant acidogenic products presented a higher conductivity, as well as more positive response to granular activated carbon (GAC) supplemented, compared with the enrichments without this stimulation, suggesting that DIET might be established. Microbial community analysis showed that <I>Geobacter</I> species were only detected in the methanogenic enrichments stimulated by the ethanol-abundant acidogenic products. Together with the significant increase of <I>Methanosarcina</I> species in these enrichments, the potential DIET between <I>Geobacter</I> and <I>Methanosarcina</I> species might be permanently established in the methanogenic digester to maintain the acidic balance as well as syntrophic metabolism stable.</P><P>Stimulating methanogenic communities to permanently perform DIET by adjusting acidogenic-phase pH at 4.0−4.5 to achieve self-produced ethanol in a two-phase AD system.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B><BR><IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/ascecg/2017/ascecg.2017.5.issue-10/acssuschemeng.7b02581/production/images/medium/sc-2017-025816_0010.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/sc7b02581'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>