Effect of temperature switchover on the degradation of antibiotic chloramphenicol by biocathode bioelectrochemical system

Exposure to chloramphenicol (CAP), a chlorinated nitroaromatic antibiotic, can induce CAP-resistant bacteria/genes in diverse environments. A biocathode bioelectrochemical system (BES) was applied to reduce CAP under switched operational temperatures. When switching from 25 to 10°C, the CAP reduction rate (k_CAP) and the maximum amount of the dechlorinated reduced amine product (AMCl, with no antibacterial activity) by the biocathode communities were both markedly decreased. The acetate and ethanol yield from cathodophilic microbial glucose fermentation (with release of electrons) was also reduced. Formation of the product AMCl was enhanced by the biocathode dechloridation reaction compared with that produced from pure electrochemical or microbial dechloridation processes. The electrochemical and morphological analyses of cathode biofilms demonstrated that some cathodophilic microbes could adapt to low temperature and play a key role in CAP degradation. The resilient biocathode BES has a potential for the treatment of CAP-containing wastewater in temperature fluctuating environments. © 2014.