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Highlights of Research1. First Study to observe the influence of mitigating pH changes and its effect on laccase activity in a microbial fuel cell (MFC).2. Decoupling pH and salinity in the cathode chamber of MFC.3. Correlation of laccase activity with performance of the system. Results show that using Nafion 117 membrane limits salinity and pH changes in the cathode (100 mM acetate buffer as catholyte) leading to prolonged laccase activity and faster AO7 decolourisation compared to using CMI7000 as a membrane; similarly automatic pH control in the cathode chamber was found to be better than using 200 mM acetate buffer.It is suggested that while pH control in the cathode chamber is important, it does not guarantee sustained laccase activity; that salinity increases affect the activity and could be mitigated using a cation selective membrane.