Universally improving effect of mixed electron donors on the CO₂ fixing efficiency of non-photosynthetic microbial communities from marine environments

The universality of improved CO₂ fixing upon the addition of mixed electron donors (MEDs) composed of Na₂S, NO₂^-, and S₂O₃^2- to non-photosynthetic microbial communities (NPMCs) obtained from 12 locations in four oceans of the world was validated. The CO₂ fixing efficiencies of NPMCs were universally enhanced by MED compared with those obtained using H₂ alone as electron donor, with average increase of about 276%. An increase in microbial inoculation concentration could increase the net amount of CO₂ fixing to 853.34mg/L in the presence of MED. NO₂^- and S₂O₃^2- may play the roles of both electron acceptor and electron donor under aerobic conditions, which may improve the energy utilization efficiency of NPMC and enhance the CO₂ fixation efficiency. The sequence determination of 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) from 150 bacteria of NPMC showed that more than 50% of the bacteria were symbiotic and there were many heterotrophic bacteria such as Vibrio natriegens. These results indicate that NPMC acts as a symbiotic CO₂ fixing system. The interaction between autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria may be a crucial factor supporting ladder utilization and recycling of energy/carbon source.