Applications of Microbial Fuel Cell Technology and Strategies to Boost Bioreactor Performance

Abstract

Renewable energy technologies are developing day by day. One of the novel renewable energy technologies is microbial fuel cells (MFC). MFCs are eco-friendly as it uses electroactive bacteria (exoelectrogens) to generate electricity by using organic and inorganic waste from the wastewater. Electricity generation and wastewater treatment are its primary applications. The construction of MFC consists of the electrodes which may be modified by using nanoparticles (gold and iron oxide) or pre-treatment methods (sonication and autoclave sterilization). This technology is further studied for the detection and reduction of toxic heavy metals in wastewater. The MFCs are also modified into microbial electrolysis cells to make biofuel such as hydrogen. The present review is based on the applications of the MFC, key challenges, and modification strategies.

Keywords

• microbial fuel cell, bioenergy, biosensors, electricity