Geobacter Strains That Use Alternate Organic Compounds, Methods of Making, and Methods of Use Thereof

A method of making an isolated adapted strain of an electricigenic microbe that can use an alternative organic compound as an electron donor wherein the alternative organic compound is not preferably used as an electron donor by a parent strain of the electricigenic microbe, comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a first vessel that contains a first culture, the first culture comprising the parent strain of the electricigenic microbe, and
• a first growth medium that includes
• a preferred organic compound as an electron donor and
• a corresponding electron acceptor;
• b. inoculating a second vessel that contains
• a second growth medium that includes
• an alternative organic compound that replaces the preferred organic compound as an electron donor and
• a corresponding electron acceptor
• with an aliquot of the parent strain of the electricigenic microbe to form an adapted culture;
• c. monitoring a growth rate of the adapted culture, noting the start of an exponential phase, and continuing until the growth rate is in mid or late exponential phase;
• d. setting n=1, where n is an integer from 1 to 100, inclusive;
• e. incrementing n by 1 according to the relation n=n+1;
• f. transferring an aliquot of the adapted culture to another vessel that contains the second growth medium to inoculate an nth adapted culture;
• g. monitoring the growth rate of the nth adapted culture, noting the start of an exponential phase, and continuing until the growth rate is in mid or late exponential phase;
• h. repeating steps e-g unless
• either the time period from inoculation until the start of the exponential phase of the nth adapted culture is more than 0.4 times the time period from inoculation until the start of the exponential phase of the (n−1)th adapted culture;
• or
• the increase in the growth rate of the nth adapted culture compared to its predecessor is less than that of the (n−1)th adapted culture compared to its predecessor, or
• the doubling time of the nth adapted culture in the second growth medium is greater than or equal to the doubling time of the parent strain in the first growth medium;
• and
• l. isolating the adapted strain of the electricigenic microbe from the nth adapted culture.