Microbial Fuel Cells, Concept, and Applications

  1. Santoro, Carlo
  2. Brown, Mike
  3. Gajda, Iwona
  4. Greenman, John
  5. Obata, Oluwatosin
  6. García, Maria José Salar 1
  7. Theodosiou, Pavlina
  8. Walter, Alexis
  9. Winfield, Jonathan
  10. You, Jiseon
  11. Ieropoulos, Ioannis
  1. 1 Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
    info

    Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena

    Cartagena, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02k5kx966

Libro:
Handbook of Cell Biosensors

Editorial: Springer

ISBN: 978-3-030-23217-7

Año de publicación: 2021

Páginas: 875-909

Tipo: Capítulo de Libro

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23217-7_93 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Resumen

The first published report of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was over 100 years ago, yet it is only recently that interest in the technology has grown exponentially with the discovery that bacteria can transfer electrons to the anode without the need for external mediators. Diverse bioelectrochemical technologies have since been developed. Microbial fuel cells have captured the attention of scientists due to the simultaneous removal of organics and pollutants and generation of electricity. Therefore, the MFC technology can become an integrated part of wastewater treatment as a renewable power system for low power consuming devices or even for real-time biosensing. In this work, a brief story of microbial fuel cells is presented followed by the description of existing bioelectrochemical systems. The diverse range of organic compounds treated in MFCs is presented followed by the description of the main MFC components (anode, cathode, and separator) their development and optimisation. Finally, the implementation of the technology for wastewater treatment and practical implementations are discussed. A final detailed part is dedicated to the utilisation of bioelectrochemical systems for biosensing.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Abrevaya XC, Mauas PJD, Cortón E (2010) Microbial fuel cells applied to the metabolically based detection of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology 10:965–971
  • Aelterman P, Rabaey K, Pham HT et al (2006) Continuous electricity generation at high voltages and currents using stacked microbial fuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 40:3388–3394
  • Almatouq A, Babatunde AO (2018) Identifying optimized conditions for concurrent electricity production and phosphorus recovery in a mediator-less dual chamber microbial fuel cell. Appl Energ 230:122–134
  • Amari S, Boshrouyeh Ghandashtani M (2019) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical wastewater treatment using a two-chambered microbial fuel cell. Water Environ J. https://doi.org/10.1111/wej.12476
  • Antolini E (2015) Composite materials for polymer electrolyte membrane microbial fuel cells. Biosens Bioelectron 69:54–70
  • Arias-Thode YM, Hsu L, Anderson G et al (2017) Demonstration of the SeptiStrand benthic microbial fuel cell powering a magnetometer for ship detection. J Power Sources 356:419–429
  • Bajracharya S, Srikanth S, Mohanakrishna G et al (2017) Biotransformation of carbon dioxide in bioelectrochemical systems: state of the art and future prospects. J Power Sources 356:256–273
  • Baudler A, Schmidt I, Langner M et al (2015) Does it have to be carbon? Metal anodes in microbial fuel cells and related bioelectrochemical systems. Energy Environ Sci 8:2048–2055
  • Behera M, Jana PS, Ghangrekar MM (2010) Performance evaluation of low cost microbial fuel cell fabricated using earthen pot with biotic and abiotic cathode. Bioresour Technol 101:1183–1189
  • Bennetto HP (1990) Electricity generation by microorganisms. Biotechnol Educ I 4:163–168
  • Berk RS, Canfield JH (1964) Bioelectrochemical energy conversion. Appl Microbiol 12:10–12
  • Cao X, Huang X, Liang P et al (2009) A new method for water desalination using microbial desalination cells. Environ Sci Technol 43:7148–7152
  • Catal T, Kul A, Atalay VE et al (2019) Efficacy of microbial fuel cells for sensing of cocaine metabolites in urine-based wastewater. J Power Sources 414:1–7
  • Cecconet D, Molognoni D, Callegari A et al (2018) Agro-food industry wastewater treatment with microbial fuel cells: energetic recovery issues. Int J Hydrog Energy 43:500–511
  • Chang IS, Jang JK, Gil GC et al (2004) Continuous determination of biochemical oxygen demand using microbial fuel cell type biosensor. Biosens Bioelectron 19:607–613
  • Chang IS, Moon H, Jang JK, Kim BH (2005) Improvement of a microbial fuel cell performance as a BOD sensor using respiratory inhibitors. Biosens Bioelectron 20:1856–1859
  • Chiu H, Pai T, Liu M et al (2016) Electricity production from municipal solid waste using microbial fuel cells. Waste Manag Res 34:619–629
  • Choi SH, Gu MB (2003) Toxicity biomonitoring of degradation byproducts using freeze-dried recombinant bioluminescent bacteria. Anal Chim Acta 481:229–238
  • Choi JDR, Chang HN, Han JI (2011) Performance of microbial fuel cell with volatile fatty acids from food wastes. Biotechnol Lett 33:705–714. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-010-0507-2
  • Cohen B (1931) The bacterial culture as an electrical half-cell. J Bacteriol 21:18–19
  • Corbella C, Puigagut J (2018) Improving domestic wastewater treatment efficiency with constructed wetland microbial fuel cells: influence of anode material and external resistance. Sci Total Environ 631–632:1406–1414
  • Corbella C, Guivernau M, Vinas M et al (2015) Operational, design and microbial aspects related to power production with microbial fuel cells implemented in constructed wetlands. Water Res 84:232–242
  • Costa de Oliveira MA, Mecheri B, D’Epifanio A et al (2017) Graphene oxide nanoplatforms to enhance catalytic performance of iron phthalocyanine for oxygen reduction reaction in bioelectrochemical systems. J Power Sources 356:381–388
  • Cristiani P, Perboni G, Debenedetti A (2008) Effect of chlorination on the corrosion of cu/Ni 70/30 condenser tubing. Electrochim Acta 54:100–107
  • Cui Y, Lai B, Tang X (2019) Microbial fuel cell-based biosensors. Biosensors 9:92
  • Cusick RD, Bryan B, Parker DS et al (2011) Performance of a pilot-scale continuous flow microbial electrolysis cell fed winery wastewater. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 89(6):2053–2063
  • Dai Z, Xu Z, Wang T et al (2019) In-situ oil presence sensor using simple-structured upward open-channel microbial fuel cell (UOC-MFC). Biosens Bioelectron X 1:100014
  • Daud SM, Kim BH, Ghasemi M et al (2015) Separators used in microbial electrochemical technologies: current status and future prospects. Bioresour Technol 195:170–179
  • Davila D, Esquivel JP, Sabate N, Mas J (2011) Silicon-based microfabricated microbial fuel cell toxicity sensor. Biosens Bioelectron 26:2426–2430
  • Davis JB, Yarbrough HF (1962) Preliminary experiments on a microbial fuel cell. Science 137:615–616
  • Di Lorenzo M, Curtis TP, Head IM et al (2009) A single-chamber microbial fuel cell as a biosensor for wastewaters. Water Res 43:3145–3154
  • Dong Y, Qu Y, He W et al (2015) A 90-liter stackable baffled microbial fuel cell for brewery wastewater treatment based on energy self-sufficient mode. Bioresour Technol 195:66–72
  • ElMekawy A, Diels L, De Wever H, Pant D (2013) Valorization of cereal based biorefinery byproducts: reality and expectations. Environ Sci Technol 47:9014–9027
  • Ewing T, Ha PT, Beyenal H (2017) Evaluation of long-term performance of sediment microbial fuel cells and the role of natural resources. Appl Energy 192:490–497
  • Feng Y, Harper WF (2013) Biosensing with microbial fuel cells and artificial neural networks: laboratory and field investigations. J Environ Managem 130:369–374
  • Feng Y, Kayode O, Harper WF (2013) Using microbial fuel cell output metrics and nonlinear modeling techniques for smart biosensing. Sci Total Environ 449:223–228
  • Feng YJ, He WH, Liu J et al (2014) A horizontal plug flow and stackable pilot microbial fuel cell for municipal wastewater treatment. Bioresour Technol 156:132–138
  • Gajda I, Stinchcombe A, Greenman J et al (2015) Ceramic MFCs with internal cathode producing sufficient power for practical applications. Int J Hydrog Energy 40:14627–14631
  • Gajda I, Greenman J, Melhuish C et al (2016) Electricity and disinfectant production from wastewater: microbial fuel cell as a self-powered electrolyser. Sci Rep 6:25571
  • Ge Z, Li J, Xiao L et al (2013) Recovery of electrical energy in microbial fuel cells: brief review. Environ Sci Technol Lett 1:137–141
  • Ge Z, Wu L, Zhang F et al (2015) Energy extraction from a large-scale microbial fuel cell system treating municipal wastewater. J Power Sources 297:260–264
  • Geesey G (1991) What is biocorrosion? In: Flemming HC, Geesey GG (eds) Biofouling and biocorrosion in industrial water systems. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg
  • Ghasemi M, Daud WRW, Ismail AF et al (2013) Simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity generation by microbial fuel cell: performance comparison and cost investigation of using Nafion 117 and SPEEK as separators. Desalination 325:1–6
  • Grattieri M, Minteer SD (2018) Self-powered biosensors. ACS Sensors 3:44–53
  • Greenman J, Gálvez A, Giusti L et al (2009) Electricity from landfill leachate using microbial fuel cells: comparison with a biological aerated filter. Enzym Microb Technol 44:112–119
  • Greenman J, Ieropoulos IA, Melhuish C (2011) Microbial Fuel Cells – Scalability and their Use in Robotics. In: Eliaz N (eds) Applications of Electrochemistry and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine I. Modern Aspects of Electrochemistry, vol 52. Springer, New York, NY
  • Gu T (2012) Methods and devices for the detection of biofilms. World Intellectual Property Organization: Patent WO2012/149487
  • Guo K, Freguia S, Dennis PG et al (2013) Effects of surface charge and hydrophobicity on anodic biofilm formation, community composition, and current generation in bioelectrochemical systems. Environ Sci Technol 47:7563–7570
  • Guo K, Prévoteau A, Patil SA et al (2015) Engineering electrodes for microbial electrocatalysis. Curr Opin Biotechnol 33:149–156
  • Habermann W, Pommer EH (1991) Biological fuel-cells with sulfide storage capacity. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 35(1):128–133
  • Harnisch F, Schröder U (2009) Selectivity versus mobility: separation of anode and cathode in microbial bioelectrochemical systems. Chem Sus Chem 2:921–926
  • Harnisch F, Schröder U (2010) From MFC to MXC: chemical and biological cathodes and their potential for microbial bioelectrochemical systems. Chem Soc Rev 39:4433–4448
  • Harnisch F, Schröder U, Scholz F (2008) The suitability of monopolar and bipolar ion exchange membranes as separators for biological fuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 42:1740–1746
  • Hernandez-Fernandez FJ, de los Rios AP, Salar-García MJ et al (2015) Recent progress and perspectives in microbial fuel cells for bioenergy generation and wastewater treatment. Fuel Processing Technol 138:284–297
  • Hiegemann H, Herzer D, Nettmann E et al (2016) An integrated 45 L pilot microbial fuel cell system at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. Bioresour Technol 218:115–122
  • Huang L, Li X, Ren Y et al (2017) Preparation of conductive microfiltration membrane and its performance in a coupled configuration of membrane bioreactor with microbial fuel cell. RCS Adv 7:20824–20832
  • Ieropoulos I, Melhuish C, Greenman J (2003) Artificial metabolism: towards true energetic autonomy in artificial life. Adv Artif Life Proc 2801:792–799
  • Ieropoulos I, Melhuish C, Greenman J (2004) Energetically autonomous robots. 8th Intell Auton Syst Conf 128–135
  • Ieropoulos I, Melhuish C, Greenman J, Horsfield I (2005a) EcoBot-II: an artificial agent with a natural metabolism. Int J Adv Robot Syst 2:295–300
  • Ieropoulos I, Greenman J, Melhuish C et al (2005b) Energy accumulation and improved performance in microbial fuel cells. J Power Sources 145:253–256
  • Ieropoulos I, Melhuish C, Greenman J (2007) Artificial gills for robots: MFC behaviour in water. Bioinspir Biomim 2(3):S83
  • Ieropoulos I, Greenman J, Melhuish C (2008) Microbial fuel cells based on carbon veil electrodes: stack configuration and scalability. Int J Energy Res 32(13):1228–1240
  • Ieropoulos I, Greenman J, Melhuish C (2010a) Improved energy output levels from small-scale microbial fuel cells. Bioelectrochemistry 78:44–50
  • Ieropoulos I, Greenman J, Melhuish C, Horsfield I (2010b) EcoBot-III: a robot with guts. 12th Int Conf synth Simul living Syst 733–740
  • Ieropoulos IA, Ledezma P, Stinchcombe A et al (2013) Waste to real energy: the first MFC powered mobile phone. Phys Chem Chem Phys 15:15312–15316
  • Ieropoulos I, Stinchcombe A, Gajda I et al (2016a) Pee power urinal – microbial fuel cell technology field trials in the context of sanitation. Environ Sci Water Res Technol 2:336–343
  • Ieropoulos I, Winfield J, Gajda I et al (2016b) Chapter 12 – the practical implementation of microbial fuel cell technology. In: Scott K (ed) Microbial electrochemical and fuel cells. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, pp 357–380
  • Ivars-Barceló F, Zuliani A, Fallah M et al (2018) Novel applications of microbial fuel cells in sensors and biosensors. Appl Sci 8:1184
  • Jiang D, Curtis M, Troop E et al (2011) A pilot-scale study on utilizing multi-anode/cathode microbial fuel cells (MAC MFCs) to enhance the power production in wastewater treatment. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:876–884
  • Jiang Y, Liang P, Zhang CY et al (2015) Enhancing the response of microbial fuel cell based toxicity sensors to Cu (II) with the applying of flow-through electrodes and controlled anode potentials. Bioresour Technol 190:367–372
  • Jiang Y, Chu N, Zeng RJ (2019) Submersible probe type microbial electrochemical sensor for volatile fatty acids monitoring in the anaerobic digestion process. J Clean Prod 232:1371–1378
  • Kannan P, Jogdeo P, Mohidin AF et al (2019) A novel microbial-bioelectrochemical sensor for the detection of n-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone in wastewater. Electrochim Acta 317:604–611
  • Karube I, Suzuki S (1988) Biochemical energy-conversion by immobilized photosynthetic Bacteria. Methods Enzymol 137:668–674
  • Karube I, Matsunaga T, Mitsuda S, Suzuki S (1977) Microbial electrode BOD sensors. Biotechnol Bioeng 19:1535–1547
  • Karube I, Okada T, Suzuki S (1981) Amperometric determination of Ammonia gas with immobilized nitrifying Bacteria. Anal Chem 53:1852–1854
  • Kaur A, Ibrahim S, Pickett CJ et al (2014) Anode modification to improve the performance of a microbial fuel cell volatile fatty acid biosensor. Sensors Actuators B Chem 201:266–273
  • Keller J, Rabaey K (2008) Experiences from MFC Pilot Plant Operation. Available from: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/47122823/experiences-from-mfc-pilot-plant-operation-microbial-fuel-cells
  • Kim T, Han JI (2013) Fast detection and quantification of Escherichia coli using the base principle of the microbial fuel cell. J Environ Manag 130:267–275
  • Kim M-N, Kwon H-S (1999) Biochemical oxygen demand sensor using Serratia marcescens LSY 4. Biosens Bioelectron 14:1–7
  • Kim BH, Chang IS, Gil GC et al (2003) Novel BOD (biological oxygen demand) sensor using mediator-less microbial fuel cell. Biotechnol Lett 25:541–545
  • Kim M, Hyun SM, Gadd GM, Kim HJ (2007) A novel biomonitoring system using microbial fuel cells. J Environ Monitor 9:1323–1328
  • Kim B, Lee BGP, Kim BH et al (2015) Assistance current effect for prevention of voltage reversal in stacked microbial fuel cell systems. ChemElectroChem 2(5):755–760
  • Kodali M, Gokhale R, Santoro C et al (2017a) High performance platinum group metal-free cathode catalysts for microbial fuel cell (MFC). J Electrochem Soc 164:H3041–H3046
  • Kodali M, Santoro C, Serov A et al (2017b) Air breathing cathodes for microbial fuel cell using Mn-, Fe-, Co- and Ni-containing platinum group metal-free catalysts. Electrochim Acta 231:115–124
  • Kumar A, Huan-Hsuan Hsu L, Kavanagh P et al (2017) The ins and outs of microorganism–electrode electron transfer reactions. Nat Rev Chem 1:24
  • Larrosa-Guerrero A, Scott K, Head IM et al (2010) Effect of temperature on the performance of microbial fuel cells. Fuel 89:3985–3994
  • Ledezma P, Greenman J, Ieropoulos I (2013a) MFC-cascade stacks maximise COD reduction and avoid voltage reversal under adverse conditions. Bioresour Technol 134:158–165
  • Ledezma P, Stinchcombe A, Greenman J et al (2013b) The first self-sustainable microbial fuel cell stack. Phys Chem Chem Phys 15:2278–2281
  • Liu H, Logan BE (2004) Electricity generation using an air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell in the presence and absence of a proton exchange membrane. Environ Sci Technol 38:4040–4046
  • Logan BE (2010) Scaling up microbial fuel cells and other bioelectrochemical systems. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 85:1665–1671
  • Logan BE, Hamelers B, Rozendal R et al (2006) Microbial fuel cells: methodology and technology. Environ Sci Technol 40:5181–5192
  • Logan BE, Call D, Cheng S et al (2008) Microbial electrolysis cells for high yield hydrogen gas production from organic matter. Environ Sci Technol 42:8630–8640
  • Logan BE, Zikmund E, Yang W et al (2018) The impact of Ohmic resistance on measured electrode potentials and maximum power production in microbial fuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 52:8977–8985
  • Logan BE, Rossi R, Ragab A et al (2019) Electroactive microorganisms in bioelectrochemical systems. Nat Rev Microbiol 17:307–319
  • Lu M, Chen S, Babanova S et al (2017) Long-term performance of a 20-L continuous flow microbial fuel cell for treatment of brewery wastewater. J Power Sources 356:274–287
  • Luo H, Xu G, Lu Y et al (2017) Electricity generation in a microbial fuel cell using yogurt wastewater under alkaline conditions. RSC Adv 7:32826–32832
  • Martinucci E, Pizza F, Perrino D et al (2015) Energy balance and microbial fuel cells experimentation at wastewater treatment plant Milano-Nosedo. Int J Hydrog Energy 40:14683–14689
  • Mathuriya AS, Yakhmi JV (2014) Microbial fuel cells to recover heavy metals. Environ Chem Lett 12(4):483–494
  • Mathuriya AS, Yakhmi JV (2016) Microbial fuel cells – applications for generation of electrical power and beyond. Crit Rev Microbiol 42:127–143
  • Mehrotra P (2016) Biosensors and their applications – a review. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res 6(2):153–159
  • Melhuish C, Ieropoulos I, Greenman J et al (2006) Energetically autonomous robots: food for thought. Auton Robot 21:187–198
  • Merlin Christy P, Gopinath LR, Divya D (2014) A review on anaerobic decomposition and enhancement of biogas production through enzymes and microorganisms. Renew Sust Energ Rev 34:167–173
  • Modin O, Wilén BM (2012) A novel bioelectrochemical BOD sensor operating with voltage input. Water Res 46:6113–6120
  • Mustakeem (2015) Electrode materials for microbial fuel cells: nanomaterial approach. Mater Renew Sustain Energy 4:22
  • Ni G, Christel S, Roman P et al (2016) Electricity generation from an inorganic sulfur compound containing mining wastewater by acidophilic microorganisms. Res Microbiol 167:568–575
  • Oh SE, Logan BE (2006) Proton exchange membrane and electrode surface areas as factors that affect power generation in microbial fuel cells. App Microbiol Biotechnol 70:162–169
  • Pandey P, Shinde VN, Deopurkar RL et al (2016) Recent advances in the use of different substrates in microbial fuel cells toward wastewater treatment and simultaneous energy recovery. Appl Energy 168:706–723
  • Pant D, Van Bogaert G, Diels L et al (2010a) A review of the substrates used in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for sustainable energy production. Bioresour Technol 101:1533–1543
  • Pant D, Van Bogaert G, De Smet M et al (2010b) Use of novel permeable membrane and air cathodes in acetate microbial fuel cells. Electrochim Acta 55:7710–7716
  • Pant D, Van Bogaert G, Alvarez-Gallego Y et al (2016) Evaluation of bioelectrogenic potential of four industrial effluents as substrate for low cost microbial fuel cells operation. Environ Eng Manag J 51(8):1897–1904
  • Papaharalabos G, Greenman J, Melhuish C et al (2013) Increased power output from micro porous layer (MPL) cathode microbial fuel cells (MFC). Int J Hydrog Energy 38:11552–11558
  • Papaharalabos G, Stinchcombe A, Horsfield I et al (2017) Autonomous energy harvesting and prevention of cell reversal in MFC stacks. J Electrochem Soc 164(3):H3047–H3051
  • Pasternak G, Greenman J, Ieropoulos (2017) Self-powered, autonomous Biological Oxygen Demand biosensor for online water quality monitoring. Sens Actuators B Chem 244:815–822
  • Peixoto L, Min B, Martins G et al (2011) In situ microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for organic carbon. Bioelectrochemistry 81:99–103
  • Pham TH, Rabaey K, Aelterman P et al (2006) Microbial fuel cells in relation to conventional anaerobic digestion technology. Eng Life Sci 6:285–292
  • Philamore H, Rossiter J, Stinchcombe A et al (2015) Row-bot: an energetically autonomous artificial water boatman. 2015 IEEE/RSJ international conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). Sept 28 – Oct 2, 2015. Hamburg
  • Philamore H, Ieropoulos I, Stinchcombe A et al (2016) Toward energetically autonomous foraging soft robots. Soft Robot 3:186–197
  • Pocaznoi D, Calmet A, Etcheverry L et al (2012) Stainless steel is a promising electrode material for anodes of microbial fuel cells. Energy Environ Sci 5:9645–9652
  • Potter MC (1911) Electrical effects accompanying the decomposition of organic compounds. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 84:260–276
  • Rabaey K, Rozendal RA (2010) Microbial electrosynthesis – revisiting the electrical route for microbial production. Nat Rev Microbiol 8:706
  • Rojas-Carbonell S, Santoro C, Serov A et al (2017) Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in neutral electrolyte. Electrochem Commun 75:38–42
  • Rojas-Carbonell S, Artyushkova K, Serov A et al (2018) Effect of pH on the activity of platinum group metal-free catalysts in oxygen reduction reaction. ACS Catal 8:3041–3053
  • Rossiter J, Philamore H, Stinchcombe A et al (2015) Row-bot: an energetically autonomous artificial water boatman. In: Proceedings of 2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). pp 3888–3893
  • Roy S, Schievano A, Pant D (2016) Electro-stimulated microbial factory for value added product synthesis. Bioresour Technol 213:129–139
  • Salar-García MJ, Ortiz-Martínez VM, de los Rios AP et al (2015) A method based on impedance spectroscopy for predicting the behavior of novel ionic liquid-polymer inclusion membranes in microbial fuel cells. Energy 89:648–654
  • Salar-García MJ, Ortiz-Martínez VM, Baicha Z et al (2016) Scaled-up continuous up-flow microbial fuel cell based on novel embedded ionic liquid-type membrane-cathode assembly. Energy 101:113–120
  • Santoro C, Serov A, Stariha L et al (2016a) Iron based catalysts from novel low-cost organic precursors for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction in neutral media microbial fuel cells. Energy Environ Sci 9:2346–2353
  • Santoro C, Babanova S, Erable B, Schuler A, Atanassov P (2016b) Bilirubin oxidase based enzymatic air-breathing cathode: operation under pristine and contaminated conditions. Bioelectrochemistry 108:1–7
  • Santoro C, Mohidin AF, Grasso LL et al (2016c) Sub-toxic concentrations of volatile organic compounds inhibit extracellular respiration of Escherichia coli cells grown in anodic bioelectrochemical systems. Bioelectrochem 112:173–177
  • Santoro C, Arbizzani C, Erable B et al (2017) Microbial fuel cells: from fundamentals to applications. A Rev J Power Sources 356:225–244
  • Santoro C, Rojas-Carbonell S, Awais R et al (2018) Influence of platinum group metal-free catalyst synthesis on microbial fuel cell performance. J Power Sources 375:11–20
  • Schievano A, Colombo A, Grattieri M et al (2017) Floating microbial fuel cells as energy harvesters for signal transmission from natural water bodies. J Power Sources 340:80–88
  • Schievano A, Colombo A, Cossettini A et al (2018) Single-chamber microbial fuel cells as on-line shock-sensors for volatile fatty acids in anaerobic digesters. Waste Manag 71:785–791
  • Shantaram A, Beyenal H, Veluchamy RRA et al (2005) Wireless sensors powered by microbial fuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 39:5037–5042
  • Shen YJ, Lefebvre O, Tan Z et al (2012) Microbial fuel-cell-based toxicity sensor for fast monitoring of acidic toxicity. Water Sci Technol 65(7):1223
  • Shen YJ, Wang M, Chang IS et al (2013) Effect of shear rate on the response of microbial fuel cell toxicity sensor to cu(II). Bioresour Technol 136:707–710
  • Sonawane JM, Adeloju SB, Ghosh PC (2017) Landfill leachate: A promising substrate for microbial fuel cells. Int J Hydrogen Energy 42:23794–23798
  • Song N, Yan Z, Xu H et al (2019) Development of a sediment microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for simultaneous online monitoring of dissolved oxygen concentrations along various depths in lake water. Sci Tot Environ 673:272–280
  • Stein NE, Hamelers HV, Straten GV et al (2012) Effect of toxic components on microbial fuel cell-polarization curves and estimation of the type of toxic inhibition. Biosensors 2:255–268
  • Stoll ZA, Dolfing J, Xu P (2018) Minimum performance requirements for microbial fuel cells to achieve energy-neutral wastewater treatment. Water 10:243
  • Su L, Jia W, Hou C et al (2011) Microbial biosensors: a review. Biosens Bioelectron 26:1788–1799
  • Tender LM, Gray SA, Groveman E et al (2008) The first demonstration of a microbial fuel cell as a viable power supply: powering a meteorological buoy. J Power Sources 179(2):571–575
  • Tian Y, Mei X, Liang Q, Wu D, Ren N, Xing D (2017) Biological degradation of potato pulp waste and microbial community structure in microbial fuel cells. RSC Adv 7(14):8376–8380
  • Thurston CF, Bennetto HP, Delaney GM et al (1985) Glucose metabolism in a microbial fuel cell. Stoichiometry of product formation in a Thionine-mediated Proteus vulgaris fuel cell and its relation to coulombic yields. Microbiol 131:1393–1401
  • Tront JM, Fortner JD, Plötze M et al (2008) Microbial fuel cell biosensor for in situ assessment of microbial activity. Biosens Bioelectron 24:586–590
  • Ucar D, Zhang Y, Angelidaki I (2017) An overview of electron acceptors in microbial fuel cells. Front Microbiol 8:643
  • Varcoe JR, Atanassov P, Dekel DR (2014) Anion-exchange membranes in electrochemical energy systems. Energy Environ Sci 7:3135–3191
  • Venkata Mohan S, Mohanakrishna G, Sarma PN (2010) Composite vegetable waste as renewable resource for bioelectricity generation through non-catalyzed open-air cathode microbial fuel cell. Bioresour Technol 101:970–976
  • Videla HA, Herrera LK (2014) Studies in surface science and catalysis. Chapter 7 Biocorrosion. Elsevier Book series volume 151:193–218
  • Virdis B, Rabaey K, Rozendal RA et al (2010) Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and carbon removal in microbial fuel cells. Water Res 44:2970–2980
  • Walter XA, Gajda I, Forbes S et al (2016) Scaling-up of a novel, simplified MFC stack based on a self-stratifying urine column. Biotechnol Biofuels 9(1):93
  • Walter XA, Stinchcombe A, Greenman J et al (2017) Urine transduction to usable energy: a modular MFC approach for smartphone and remote system charging. Appl Energy 192:575–581
  • Walter XA, Merino-Jiménez I, Greenman J et al (2018) PEE POWER® urinal II – urinal scale-up with microbial fuel cell scale-down for improved lighting. J Power Sources 392:150–158
  • Wang C, Jiang H (2019) Real-time monitoring of sediment bulking through a multi-anode sediment microbial fuel cell as reliable biosensor. Sci Tot Environ 697:134009
  • Wang Z, Cao C, Zheng Y, Chen S et al (2014) Abiotic oxygen reduction reaction catalysts used in microbial fuel cells. Chem Electro Chem 1:1813–1821
  • Wang H, Park JD, Ren ZJ (2015) Practical energy harvesting for microbial fuel cells: a review. Environ Sci Technol 49:3267–3277
  • Wang Z, Mahadevan GD, Wu Y et al (2017) Progress of air-breathing cathode in microbial fuel cells. J Power Sources 356:245–255
  • Wei J, Liang P, Huang X (2011) Recent progress in electrodes for microbial fuel cells. Bioresour Technol 102:9335–9344
  • Wilkinson S (2000) “Gastrobots” – benefits and challenges of microbial fuel cells in food powered robot applications. Auton Robot 9(2):99–111
  • Williams KH, Nevin KP, Franks A et al (2010) Electrode-based approach for monitoring in situ microbial activity during subsurface bioremediation. Environ Sci Technol 44:47–54
  • Winfield J, Ieropoulos I, Greenman J (2012) Investigating a cascade of seven hydraulically connected microbial fuel cells. Bioresour Technol 110:245–250
  • Winfield J, Ieropoulos I, Rossiter J et al (2013) Biodegradation and proton exchange using natural rubber in microbial fuel cells. Biodegradation 24:733–739
  • Winfield J, Gajda I, Greenman J et al (2016) A review into the use of ceramics in microbial fuel cells. Bioresour Technol 215:296–303
  • Xu D, Gu T (2014) Carbon source starvation triggered more aggressive corrosion against carbon steel by the Desulfovibrio vulgaris biofilm. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad 91:74–81
  • Xu D, Li Y, Song F, Gu T (2013) Laboratory investigation of microbiologically influenced corrosion of C1018 carbon steel by nitrate reducing bacterium bacillus licheniformis. Corros Sci 77:385–390
  • Xu Z, Liu Y, Williams et al (2016) Disposable self-support paper-based multi-anode microbial fuel cell (PMMFC) integrated with power management system (PMS) as the real time “shock” biosensor for wastewater. Biosens Bioelectron 85:232–239
  • Yamashita T, Hayashi T, Iwasaki H et al (2019) Ultra-low-power energy harvester for microbial fuel cells and its application to environmental sensing and long-range wireless data transmission. J Power Sources 430:1–11
  • Yang H, Zhou M, Liu M et al (2015) Microbial fuel cells for biosensor applications. Biotechnol Lett 37:2357–2364
  • You J, Greenman J, Melhuish C et al (2016) Electricity generation and struvite recovery from human urine using microbial fuel cells. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 91:647–654
  • You J, Greenman J, Ieropoulos I (2018) Novel analytical microbial fuel cell design for rapid in situ optimisation of dilution rate and substrate supply rate, by flow, volume control and anode placement. Energies 11:2377
  • Yuan H, Hou Y, Abu-Reesh IM et al (2016) Oxygen reduction reaction catalysts used in microbial fuel cells for energy-efficient wastewater treatment: a review. Mater Horiz 3:382–401
  • Zeng L, Li X, Shi Y et al (2017) FePO4 based single chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell for online monitoring levofloxacin. Biosens Bioelectron 91:367–373
  • Zhang Y, Angelidaki I (2011) Submersible microbial fuel cell sensor for monitoring microbial activity and BOD in groundwater: focusing on impact of anodic biofilm on sensor applicability. Biotechnol Bioeng 108:2339–2347
  • Zhang Y, Angelidaki I (2012) A simple and rapid method for monitoring dissolved oxygen in water with a submersible microbial fuel cell (SBMFC). Biosens Bioelectron 38:189–194
  • Zhang F, Cheng S, Pant D et al (2009) Power generation using an activated carbon and metal mesh cathode in a microbial fuel cell. Electrochem Commun 11:2177–2179
  • Zhang L, Fu G, Zhang Z (2019) Simultaneous nutrient and carbon removal and electricity generation in self-buffered biocathode microbial fuel cell for high-salinity mustard tuber wastewater treatment. Bioresour Technol 272:105–113
  • Zhu X, Wu G, Lu N et al (2017) A miniaturized electrochemical toxicity biosensor based on graphene oxide quantum dots/carboxylated carbon nanotubes for assessment of priority pollutants. J Hazardous Mater 324:272–280
  • Zhuang L, Yuan Y, Wang Y et al (2012) Long-term evaluation of a 10-liter serpentine-type microbial fuel cell stack treating brewery wastewater. Bioresour Technol 123:406–412