Exploring the effectiveness of microbial fuel cell for the degradation of organic pollutants coupled with bio-energy generation

• Highlighted the microbes-organic pollutant interaction in MFC. • List of affecting factors the biodegradation of organic pollutants in MFC. • Organic pollutant degradation through microbial fuel cell (MFC) approach. • Pollutant degradation mechanism is well explained. The ongoing global industrialization has contributed in a significant increase in the release of toxic pollutants into the environment, the majority of which are primarily organic pollutions. When organic pollutants more than permissible limits are in the environment, they pose a serious threat to aquatic life and humans. Various bioremediation and degradation techniques for organic pollutants removal from the environment have been reported; however, their sustainability and efficacy remain insufficient. The overarching goal of this review is to unravel the effectiveness of using the microbial fuel cell (MFC) technique to degrade organic pollutants while improving the energy generation performance of the system. This review explains the various physicochemical and biological factors that influence microbial degradation of organic pollutants. The mechanism of organic pollutants degradation and the interaction of the pollutants with microbes in the MFC system were discussed. Further, this paper highlights a new approach on how organic pollutants increase the MFC power output. A comparative review of the degradation of other toxic pollution and organic pollutants through MFC and their effects on energy generation performance were presented herein. Finally, current challenges, future recommendations, and perspectives were also summarized.