Electron Extraction from an Extracellular Electrode by <i>Desulfovibrio ferrophilus</i> Strain IS5 Without Using Hydrogen as an Electron Carrier

Abstract

We report that an intensely iron-corroding microbe, Desulfovibrio ferrophilus strain IS5, is capable of extracting electrons from an indium tin-doped oxide electrode without consuming electrochemically generated hydrogen as an electron carrier. When sulfate was presented as a metabolic electron acceptor, significant cathodic current production was observed at an onset potential of −200 mV vs. SHE, which was approximately 750 mV more positive than the onset for hydrogen evolution in our experimental condition. This finding indicates that hydrogen is not required for the cathodic reaction of IS5, suggesting that IS5 accelerates anaerobic iron corrosion through direct electron uptake.