Microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment and energy generation

Abstract Microbial fuel cell (MFC) systems employ the bioelectrochemical catalytic activity of microbes to produce electricity from the oxidation of organic, and in some cases inorganic, substrates. Theoretically, almost all the substrates that can be metabolized by microorganisms are able to serve as the feedstock in MFCs, such as simple chemical compounds, urban sewage, agricultural, brewery, food, and dairy farm and various industrial wastewaters. MFC technology represents a unique and novel platform to process waste and wastewater sources that allows for energy and resource recovery along with water sanitation in a single configuration. They have the potential to provide the paradigm shift for wastewater treatment from “environmental protection” to “resource recovery.” Energy and valuable resource content in the wastewater sources presents a promising potential for their recovery to develop sustainable technologies. Thus MFCs can be integrated into existing wastewater treatment systems to enhance energy, water, and nutrient resource recovery. This chapter provides an overview of the principles of wastewater treatment in MFCs, comparison with other energy recovery alternatives from wastewater, substrate utilization in MFCs, process developments, and organic, nutrient, and metal removal capacities in MFCs. Recent developments in pilot-scale studies and integration with other wastewater treatment systems are also discussed.