Microbial Desalination Using Advenella faeciporci ZF1: A Novel Iron- Reducing Bacterium Isolated from Oil Refinery Sludge

Advenella faeciporci strain ZF1, a novel isolated iron-reducing bacterium from Esfahan Oil Refining sludge, exhibited remarkable tolerance to FeCl₃ (up to 20 g/L) and electrochemical activity under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. ZF1 was phylogenetically identified and characterized via FTIR, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulation, and magnetotactic behavior. Integrated into a microbial desalination cell (MDC), ZF1 achieved sodium, calcium, and chloride removal efficiencies of 70.6%, 78.6%, and 27.5% in refinery brine over 15 days. Under 9 g/L NaCl salinity, the system generated a maximum voltage of 410 ± 15 mV within the first 48 h. The corresponding peak power density reached 92 ± 5 mW/m² at an external resistance of 100 Ω, and the calculated current density was 1.80 ± 0.1 A/m². These findings highlight A. faeciporci ZF1 as a promising exoelectrogen for sustainable water desalination and metal-rich wastewater bioremediation.