Inhibitory effect of self-generated extracellular dissolved organic carbon on carbon dioxide fixation in sulfur-oxidizing bacteria during a chemoautotrophic cultivation process and its elimination.

The features of extracellular dissolved organic carbon (EDOC) generation in two typical aerobic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (Thiobacillus thioparus DSM 505 and Halothiobacillus neapolitanus DSM 15147) and its impact on CO2 fixation during chemoautotrophic cultivation process were investigated. The results showed that EDOC accumulated in both strains during CO2 fixation process. Large molecular weight (MW) EDOC derived from cell lysis and decay was dominant during the entire process in DSM 505, whereas small MW EDOC accounted for a large proportion during initial and middle stages of DSM 15147 as its cytoskeleton synthesis rate did not keep up with CO2 assimilation rate. The self-generated EDOC feedback repressed cbb gene transcription and thus decreased total bacterial cell number and CO2 fixation yield in both strains, but DSM 505 was more sensitive to this inhibition effect. Moreover, the membrane bioreactor effectively decreased the EDOC/TOC ratio and improved carbon fixation yield of DSM 505.