Enhancing electricity generation and pollutant degradation in microbial fuel cells using cyanobacteria-derived biochar electrodes

Utilizing microbial fuel cells (MFCs) technology to simultaneously achieve efficient biopower generation and pollutant degradation is a persistent pursuit. However, the limited rate of extracellular electron transfer (EET) and the availability of electrode materials remain key factors limiting the practical application of MFCs. In this article, modified carbon derived from cyanobacteria is applied to modify electrodes and assemble MFCs. By outputting voltage, power density, chemical oxygen demand removal rate and Coulombic efficiency the excellent bioelectricity performance of the assembled MFCs is demonstrated. The degradation performance of the assembled MFCs on various typical pollutants represented by tetracycline is illuminated, even up to 95.12%. Moreover, the pollutant removal mechanism by assembled MFCs is elucidated, including biofilm community and degradation pathway analysis. In a word, the enhanced EET process and high accessibility make the proposed MFC anode have fascinating application prospects in achieving efficient biopower generation and pollutant degradation simultaneously.