Microbial Fuel Cells

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a hybrid bioelectrochemical system, which converts biosubstrates directly into green electricity by effectively oxidizing them using bacteria under ambient temperature/pressure condition. The potential, developed between the bacterial metabolic activity and electron acceptor, was separated by a membrane manifesting bioelectricity generation. The achievable power output from MFCs has increased remarkably by modifying their system designs, such as optimization of the MFC configurations, their physical and chemical operating conditions, and their choice of biocatalyst. More recently, selecting the proper materials, such as the anode‐cathode electrodes and a proton exchange membrane (PEM), is one of the critical challenges for applications of MFC. The specific materials for each chamber used in MFC can affect the power density and Coulombic efficiency. Furthermore, the practical applications of MFC technologies include renewable electricity generation, wastewater treatment, biological oxygen demand (BOD) sensor, and implantable medical devices.