Electroactive bacteria-established long-distance electron transfer to oxygen facilitates bio-transformation of dissolved organic matter for sediment remediation

Abstract

Electroactive bacteria (EAB) in sediment commonly establish long-distance electron transfer (LDET) to access O₂, facilitating the degradation of organic contaminants, which we hypothesize is mediated by the bio-transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM). This study confirmed that EAB-established LDET to O₂ via a microbial electrochemical snorkel raised the electric potential of sediment by increasing HCl-extracted Fe(III) and NO— 3concentrations while reducing DOM concentrations, which further modified microbial diversity and composition, notably reduced the relative abundance of fermentative bacteria. As a result, DOM showed the highest SUVA₂₅₄ value (3.88) and SUVA₂₈₀ value (1.61), preliminarily suggesting their enhanced aromaticity, humification and average molecular weight. Additionally, these DOM exhibited the highest electron transfer capacity (174.14±3.62 μmol e⁻ /g C) and redox current. Based on these findings, we propose four possible avenues through which EAB-established LDET to O₂ facilitates sediment remediation, mainly including DOM involved affinity, direct and indirect electron transfer, and induced photochemical reaction in degradation or humification process of organic contaminants. Although these proposed avenues require further verification, this work sheds light on deciphering the mechanisms underlying the augmented degradation of organic contaminants facilitated by EAB-established LDET to O₂, offering fresh insights into sediment remediation.