Perspective View on Materialistic, Mechanistic and Operating Challenges of Microbial Fuel Cell on Commercialisation and Their Way Ahead

Abstract

Microbial fuel cell technology that works on the principle of resource recovery has gained wide popularity among the scientific world. These MFCs were seen as a solution provider for the present day's energy crisis through a non-traditional sustainable way. Although immense research has marked the development of this system since its innovation, the technol-ogy has not competed the commercial implication owing to various associated materialistic and operating limitations. The perspective provides an overview of the various limitations faced that constraints its real-time application along with perspective solutions.

PEDOT modified MIL‐53 (Al) as high throughput cathode catalyst for durable and economical power generation in microbial fuel cell

“…The sustainable development goals have promoted the concept of waste-to-energy technologies pinning Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) as one of the most researched topics of the decade. 1,2 This MFC system is based on the principle of fuel cell with the sustainable route as it replaces the abiotic chemical reactions (in the case of fuel cell) with biotic redox reactions (3). Also, this technology uses wastewater as fuel to generate electricity with simultaneous treatment of the same.…”

“…Also, this technology uses wastewater as fuel to generate electricity with simultaneous treatment of the same. However, their functionality is restricted to the lab‐scale due to constraints like microbial adhesion, high‐cost membrane incorporation, and noble metals usage as cathode catalysts 3 . Off these, the microbial adhesion problem was dealt with upgrading the anode to 3D geometry while the cost reduction of the membrane and cathode catalyst through an economical route 4,5 .…”

“…However, their functionality is restricted to the lab-scale due to constraints like microbial adhesion, high-cost membrane incorporation, and noble metals usage as cathode catalysts. 3 Off these, the microbial adhesion problem was dealt with upgrading the anode to 3D geometry while the cost reduction of the membrane and cathode catalyst through an economical route. 4,5 In most common cases, Platinum (Pt) is the conventional choice for cathode catalysts.…”