Enhanced microbial degradation mediated by pyrogenic carbon toward p-nitrophenol: Role of carbon structures and iron minerals

Pyrogenic carbon (PC) including black carbons and engineered carbons can mediate the extracellular electron transfer to facilitate the biogeochemical reaction with organic pollutants. Yet, the role of carbon structures and iron minerals on PC-mediated microbial degradation is still lacking of understanding. Herein, we studied the electrochemical properties of PCs produced from varied feedstock with regards to the mediated degradation of p-nitrophenol (PNP) by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 in anoxic system. Mediated degradation by PCs was enhanced by facilitating extracellular electron transfer through oxygenated group and graphitic structure. Graphitic crystallites improved the electron-accepting capacity (as suggested by ID/IG and EAC) and diminished the electrochemical impedance (as suggested by Rct), contributing to PNP degradation under the anoxic system. Furthermore, more interfacial adsorption was conducive to the mediated reduction by the graphitic structure on PCs of high-temperature. In the presence of iron minerals, both hematite and goethite significantly facilitated PC-mediated degradation, which could be ascribed to the enhancement of the electron-donating capacity of microorganism and the accumulation of the reductive-state PCs by the interaction with generated Fe(II). This work paves a feasible way to the technical design on the remediation of phenolic contaminants by PC-mediated microbial degradation in environment.