Bioenergy production and purification of aqueous effluents using microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) form part of an emerging technology that makes it possible to convert the chemicals and biowastes contained in wastewater into electrical energy and other high-value products. This is achieved when the bacteria pass electron energy to an electrode rather than an electron acceptor (such as oxygen). Technical feasibility of the concept has been proven recently so there is great enthusiasm in the scientific community that MFCs could provide a source of "green electricity" exploiting domestic and industrial wastes to generate power. By using organic matter in wastewaters as a fuel, simultaneously to energy generation contaminants are removed from water. To date, several main problems, including low power generation, expensive material, and complicated configuration have severely hindered the large-scale application of MFCs.