Abstract
Biotechnology is constantly explored to develop methods for wastewater treatment to have a clean environment. Discharge of untreated wastewaters in the soil and water environment is the major cause of environmental pollution in soil and surface and groundwater bodies. Current wastewater treatment technologies are not sufficient to meet the ever-growing demands due to rapid industrialization and population growth, and they are also energy-consuming and cost-intensive. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an energy-efficient treatment method. The rise in global energy demand is projected to increase by 37% by 2040. As the conventional energy sources are also depleting at a fast rate, it is necessary to adopt renewable energy to meet the demands of future energy scenario. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a technology in which electricity is generated from wastewater using microorganism as a biocatalyst, simultaneously achieving wastewater treatment. In this system, microorganism mediates the direct conversion of chemical energy stored in biodegradable organic matter of wastewater into electrical energy. Many researchers have developed a variety of MFC-centered hybrid wastewater treatment plants at a pilot scale, for the treatment of wastewater from different industries such as dye, brewery, and dairy industries, domestic wastewater, and landfill leachate. Irrespective of the potential of MFC as a renewable energy source and its wide applicability for wastewater treatment, the technique is not yet established successfully for field applications. Low-energy performance and excessive internal resistance are the limiting factors in its practical application. Researchers have performed multiple strategic attempts to minimize these factors by developing efficient reactor designs for minimizing internal resistance, stacking multiple reactors into one enlarge system (modularization). Modularization is one of the common strategies followed by researchers for pilot-scale MFC setup. This prevents the unnecessary distance between anode and cathode and enhances COD removal rate. Also, using various forms of electrodes such as carbon brushes, nickel foam, etc. to provide large surface area and modification of electrodes using nanomaterials have shown power density enhancement. This chapter discusses the potential applications and practical limitations of MFC for its effectiveness in wastewater treatment and contaminant removal and energy generation at bench and pilot scale.
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Geetanjali, Agrahari, R., Kumar, S., Rani, R. (2020). Microbial Fuel Cell-Based Process for Wastewater Treatment and Power Generation. In: Gothandam, K., Ranjan, S., Dasgupta, N., Lichtfouse, E. (eds) Environmental Biotechnology Vol. 1. Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World, vol 44. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38192-9_10
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