Bioelectrochemical systems-based metal removal and recovery from wastewater and polluted soil: Key factors, development, and perspective

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are considered efficient and sustainable technologies for bioenergy generation and simultaneously removal/recovery metal (loid)s from soil and wastewater. However, several current challenges of BES-based metal removal and recovery, especially concentrating target metals from complex contaminated wastewater or soil and their economic feasibility of engineering applications. This review summarized the applications of BES-based metal removal and recovery systems from wastewater and contaminated soil and evaluated their performances on electricity generation and metal removal/recovery efficiency. In addition, an in depth review of several key parameters (BES configurations, electrodes, catalysts, metal concentration, pH value, substrate categories, etc.) of BES-based metal removal and recovery was carried out to facilitate a deep understanding of their development and to suggest strategies for scaling up their specific application fields. Finally, the future intervention on multifunctional BES to improve their performances of mental removal and recovery were revealed.