A Review of Recent Advances in Microbial Fuel Cells: Preparation, Operation, and Application

Abstract

The microbial fuel cell has been considered a promising alternative to traditional fossil energy. It has great potential in energy production, waste management, and biomass valorization. However, it has several technical issues, such as low power generation efficiency and operational stability. These issues limit the scale-up and commercialization of MFC systems. This review presents the latest progress in microbial community selection and genetic engineering techniques for enhancing microbial electricity production. The summary of substrate selection covers defined substrates and some inexpensive complex substrates, such as wastewater and lignocellulosic biomass materials. In addition, it also includes electrode modification, electron transfer mediator selection, and optimization of operating conditions. The applications of MFC systems introduced in this review involve wastewater treatment, production of value-added products, and biosensors. This review focuses on the crucial process of microbial fuel cells from preparation to application and provides an outlook for their future development.

Review of microbial fuel cell from a techno-economic perspective

“…Treatment depends on the source and characteristics of wastewater and desirable outputs, such as storage for reuse or release into rivers or streams. Solid and organic materials are primarily removed from wastewater, followed by other organic and chemical materials (Wang et al, 2022).…”

A light-driven photosynthetic microbial fuel cell for carbon-negative bioelectricity production

“…1 MFCs consist of anode and cathode chambers, separated by an ion exchange membrane and external resistance for current ow. 2 In the anode chamber, exoelectrogens (e.g., Geobacter sulfurreducens and Shewanella oneidensis), which can transfer electrons to the terminal electron acceptors outside the cell, oxidize various organic matter and produce electrons and protons. 3 These electrons and protons are transferred to the cathode chamber via an external circuit and ion exchange membrane, respectively, and a terminal electron acceptor (e.g., O 2 , ferricyanide) is reduced to produce bioelectricity through the cathode electrode.…”

“…1 MFCs consist of anode and cathode chambers, separated by an ion exchange membrane and external resistance for current flow. 2 In the anode chamber, exoelectrogens ( e.g. , Geobacter sulfurreducens and Shewanella oneidensis ), which can transfer electrons to the terminal electron acceptors outside the cell, oxidize various organic matter and produce electrons and protons.…”

Advances in anode configurations for a microbial fuel cell via a computational fluid dynamics electrochemistry and its experimental validation

“…It also is possible for substrates to enter the fermentation path, which leads to the production of anaerobic compounds. As a result of combining fermentation and electrochemical processes, the MFC system can achieve the simultaneous generation of power and valuable compounds 13 . The MFC has been identified as a potential biosensor device; MFC‐based biosensors can be utilized in different aspects of liquid samples, such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and toxicity, depending on the current flow of MFC influenced by the bioactivities of microbes 14 …”

“…As a result of combining fermentation and electrochemical processes, the MFC system can achieve the simultaneous generation of power and valuable compounds. 13 The MFC has been identified as a potential biosensor device; MFC-based biosensors can be utilized in different aspects of liquid samples, such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and toxicity, depending on the current flow of MFC influenced by the bioactivities of microbes. 14 Over the past few decades, MFCs have gained substantial interest as a consequence of their capacity to utilize diverse degradable substrates as fuel and their low-cost operational process.…”