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Basic Principles of Microbial Fuel Cell: Technical Challenges and Economic Feasibility

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Microbial Applications Vol.1

Abstract

Water and energy securities are emerging as increasingly important and vital issues for today’s world. Therefore, the field of wastewater management and alternative energy is one of the most unexplored fields of Biotechnology and Science. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is emerging as a modern wastewater treatment technology which converts chemical energy stored in the bonds of organic matter present in wastewater directly into electricity using electrogenic bacteria as a catalyst, without causing environmental pollution. In this chapter, the technical know-how of MFC and biocatalyst has been depicted. A thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of microbial fuel cells would help to perceive new aspects of bioenergy conversions and how such systems could be integrated with the present energy generation systems to maximize the energy recovery. In this respect, MFCs show promise to treat wastewater with simultaneous production of renewable energy. In this chapter, the theories underlying the electron transfer mechanisms, the biochemistry and the microbiology involved, and the material characteristics of anode, cathode, and the separator have been clearly described. This chapter highlights the major factors involved toward the improvement bioelectricity production processes. Advance in the design of MFC Technology and the economy of the process are also included.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel

    Soumya Pandit

  2. Department of Biotechnology, IIT-Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

    Soumya Pandit

  3. School of Applied Bioscience, Agriculture Department, Kyungpook National University, Building-1, Dong-Daegu, 702701, South Korea

    Kuppam Chandrasekhar

  4. Bio-Engineering and Environmental Science (BEES), CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, India

    Kuppam Chandrasekhar

  5. Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory for Water and Energy (EBLWE), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Ramesh Kakarla

  6. Department of Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, 530003, AP, India

    Ramesh Kakarla

  7. Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment, National University of Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    Abudukeremu Kadier

  8. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

    Velpuri Jeevitha

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  1. Soumya Pandit
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  2. Kuppam Chandrasekhar
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  5. Velpuri Jeevitha
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Correspondence to Kuppam Chandrasekhar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR-Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, Delhi, India

    Vipin Chandra Kalia

  2. CSIR-Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, Delhi, India

    Prasun Kumar

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Pandit, S., Chandrasekhar, K., Kakarla, R., Kadier, A., Jeevitha, V. (2017). Basic Principles of Microbial Fuel Cell: Technical Challenges and Economic Feasibility. In: Kalia, V., Kumar, P. (eds) Microbial Applications Vol.1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52666-9_8

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