A quick review on the mechanism and applications of microbial mediated fuel cells

Abstract

A Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a bio electrochemical device that can generate electricity by the use of electrons obtained from the anaerobic oxidation of substrates. Generally, the MFC consists of two parts, an anode and a cathode, which are separated by a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM). This review was investigated to study MFC and its operational physiochemical, microbial and bioelectrical parameters. Microbial electrochemical technologies constitute a relatively recent innovative approach for wastewater treatment where a laboratory-scale level shows remarkable results in terms of the removal of organic matter and other pollutants of interest, as well as for the recovery of potential energy store in chemical form in wastewaters. It is of interest to invest efforts in systems that take advantage of bio electrochemical principles without simultaneous power generation. An option for this would be to invest higher efforts on the research of sewage operating with MFCs setups, systems operating in short-circuit mode.