cryo-EM — Cryo-TEM of a single pure-culture cell without polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granules. Adapted from Colpa DI et al. (2020), Bioengineering 7(1):19, Fig. 5B. Source · CC BY 4.0 · Cropped to panel B; converted to WebP

Denitrifier · Aromatic degrader

Thauera sp. MZ1T

Pseudomonadota · Betaproteobacteria · Zoogloeaceae

BSL-1Stub record
  • Denitrifier
  • Non electroactive
  • Cw MFC
  • Tier 3
None
Electron transfer
not electroactive
30°C
Optimal temperature
grows 20–37 °C
7.5
Optimal pH
grows pH 6.5–8.5

01 · Identity

Identity

Where this organism sits in the tree of life, how to obtain it, and what a cell looks like.

Lineage

  1. domainBacteria
  2. ›phylumPseudomonadota
  3. ›classBetaproteobacteria
  4. ›orderRhodocyclales
  5. ›familyZoogloeaceae
  6. ›genusThauera
  7. ›speciesThauera sp. MZ1T

Culture collections & accessions

Cell morphology

Rod, Gram-negative (diderm)

  • Motile: yes
  • Spore-forming: no

02 · Growth envelope

Growth envelope

The conditions this organism tolerates and what it eats and breathes — the operating window for a reactor.

MesophileFacultative anaerobeChemoorganoheterotroph
Temperature30 (20–37) °C
0100 °C
pH7.5 (6.5–8.5)
014

Energy metabolism

Electron donors

  • organic acids
  • aromatic compounds

Electron acceptors

  • O2
  • Nitrate
  • Nitrite

Carbon sources

  • Acetate
  • Benzoate
  • Toluene
  • Phenol
  • Respiratory: yes

03 · Growth & electron-transfer kinetics

Growth & electron-transfer kinetics

How fast this organism grows and how hard it pushes electrons into an anode, as the corpus reports it, and what those constants imply when you run them.

Kinetic evidence

ParameterMedian10–90 %nSource
Max. specific growth rate μmax0.15 h⁻¹0.05–0.31genus prior · 0 refs
Half-saturation constant Ks30 mg/L5–1001genus prior · 0 refs
Biomass yield Y0.3 g/g0.1–0.51genus prior · 0 refs
Decay coefficient kdNot in the corpus yet
Exchange current density i₀Not in the corpus yet
Transfer coefficient αNot in the corpus yet
Tafel slopeNot in the corpus yet

Median of the extracted values, the 10–90 % spread behind it and how many values it pools.

Evidence rows (0)

Genus-level prior: Thauera spp.

A genus-level prior is a summary for the whole genus, not a measurement on this strain.

    Constants that drive the simulation

    Scenario — values you set, not evidence

    Initial substrate1000 mg/L
    Anode potential vs SHE0 V
    Duration72 h
    Initial attached biomass0.1 g/m²
    Anode area per liquid volume100 m²/m³
    Reactor mode

    Growth simulation

    Scenario: Initial substrate 1000 mg/L · Initial attached biomass 0.1 g/m² · Anode area per liquid volume 100 m²/m³ · Duration 72 h · Batch. Values you set, not evidence.

    3.1g/m²
    Peak biomass
    23.4h
    Time to 90 % substrate removal
    Attached biomassg/m²
    0240204060h
    Bulk substratemg/L
    050010000204060h

    No current model

    The current needs Max. current density jmax, Half-saturation potential E_KA, which this source does not have.

    • Substrate-saturated growth
    • Slowing
    • Stationary

    Monod growth has no lag phase; the bands mark where the net growth rate is near its maximum, falling, near zero or negative.

    Simulator notes
    • decayPerH absent: no endogenous decay term, so growth is an upper bound
    • biofilmDensityKgPerM3 absent: thickness not computed (thicknessUm = null)
    • no anodePotentialVvsShe / overpotentialV given: current not computed (currentDensityAPerM2 = null)

    These curves are a Monod and Nernst-Monod idealisation (after Marcus et al. 2007 and Torres et al. 2008), parameterised only by the constants listed above: each one carries its n and its 10–90 % range, and a constant with n = 1 has no spread at all. No diffusion inside the biofilm, no detachment, no coulombic-efficiency split. The scenario values are yours, not evidence.

    04 · Performance

    Performance

    Reported electrochemical output, the role it plays in a reactor, and what it produces.

    Role in a reactor

    No preferred chamberAnode: absentCathode: supporting cathode biofilm

    05 · Ecology & biofilm

    Ecology & biofilm

    How it lives on an electrode, who it partners with, and where it is found in nature.

    Ecosystems

    • Wastewater
    • Freshwater
    • Soil

    Isolation sources

    • activated sludge
    • constructed wetlands

    06 · Applications, engineering & safety

    Applications, engineering & safety

    Where it has been put to work, how tractable it is to engineer, and what handling it requires.

    Applications (2)

    • Wastewater treatment · Commercial

      Important denitrifier in CW-MFCs and activated sludge.

      TRL 8/9
    • Bioremediation organics
      TRL 6/9

    Biosafety

    BSL-1
    • Pathogen: no

    07 · Sources & data quality

    Sources & data quality

    Every value above traces to a citation. This is how complete and how confident the record is.

    Record quality

    StubLow confidenceNeeds reviewCurated: manual

    Literature reviewed 2026-04-26 · schema v1.2.0 · updated 2026-04-28 · imported 2026-04-28

    References (1)

    1. Corsino M, et al. (multiple). Thauera in CW-MFC nitrogen removal — see Patel et al. 2023 review on CW-MFCs.