Biochar as Electron Acceptor for Microbial Extracellular Respiration

Biochar is a charred carbonaceous material that has recently been identified to provide many potential environmental and agricultural applications. Biochar amendments are shown to effectively improve the quality of soil and increase soil microbial biomass. However, the interactions between biochar and microorganisms and the mechanisms through which biochar influences soil microbial growth and activities remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the potential for biochar to function as an electron acceptor for microbial extracellular respiration and growth. Anaerobic incubation of Geobacter sulfurreducens revealed that biochar was used as a sole terminal electron acceptor, as evidenced by a 31-fold increase of biomass and gradual increase in reducing equivalents of biochar and the consumption of acetate after 15 d. An electron stoichiometry analysis showed that 58.7% of the electrons released from acetate oxidation could be recovered in biochar, which was comparable to that of humic substances (44.8%). The finding that biochar participates in microbial extracellular respiration may have important environmental implications considering the widespread existence of both extracellular-respiring microorganisms and black carbon in the environment.