Biomass-Derived Carbon for Electrode Fabrication in Microbial Fuel Cells: A Review

Natural biomass is a promising candidate for the preparation of heteroatom-doped carbons that can be used as effective electrode catalysts for microbial fuel cells (MFCs), due to its intriguing features, such as high abundance, rich heteroatom contents, and low cost. In this review, we summarize recent process in the design and fabrication of MFC electrodes based on biocarbons; discuss the effects of preparation methods, bacteria/electrode interaction, pore structure, and assembly procedure on the electrode and cell performance; and conclude with a perspective highlighting the strategies and critical challenges in electrode fabrication for further enhancement of the device performance.