水素エネルギーを利用した細菌による飢餓条件下での有機微量汚染物質分解促進
Organic micropollutants (OMPs) persist in aquatic environments at trace levels and pose ecological and health concerns. Microbial degradation is central to their removal from drinking water, yet energy-limited conditions in treatment systems constrain the metabolic activity of degrading bacteria over time. This study investigated whether molecular hydrogen (H₂) could serve as a supplementary energy source for OMP-degrading microorganisms. Using Aminobacter niigataensis MSH1 and the model compound 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), experiments were conducted under both non-growth-linked (500 µg BAM/L) and growth-linked (10,000 µg BAM/L) conditions. MSH1 cells pre-exposed to H₂ showed 1.2- to 1.5-fold higher initial specific BAM degradation rates in non-growth-linked conditions, attributed to retention of metabolically active cells. Under growth-linked conditions, H₂ pre-exposure yielded a 1.5-fold increase in maximum specific growth rate alongside improved BAM removal. These benefits were restricted to cells harvested at stationary or starvation phases, and H₂ consumption measurements confirmed active H₂ metabolism. The findings indicate that microbial H₂ utilization sustains degradative capacity under nutrient starvation, suggesting a potential strategy for improving long-term OMP removal in water treatment.
Bacteria in stationary or starvation phases metabolize H₂ as an alternative energy source, sustaining cellular metabolic activity and thereby increasing both the specific BAM biodegradation rate and maximum specific growth rate under nutrient-limited conditions.
This is basic research at the cellular or molecular level. For human application, inhalation is the most promising delivery route, but inhalation carries explosion risk and concentration matters (empirical LFL of 10%; high-concentration devices are not recommended).
See also:
https://h2-papers.org/en/papers/40578101