Bioremediation of Organic Pollutants Through Microbial Fuel Cells

Abstract

AbstractThe microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical technique which employs the inherent metabolic characteristics of microorganisms to produce electricity. In the MFC, microorganisms absorb the nutrients within their medium with the release of a portion in the form of electrical energy. MFCs toil as an assuring technology toward renewable power production during the corrosion of biodecomposable organic material in the occurrence of electrogenic bacteria. The accurate application of MFC is synchronous bioremediation and electricity generation. Bioremediation is the method used to manage polluted media, like water, mud, and subsurface matter, through modifying environmental circumstances to incite the growth of microorganisms and diminish the pollutants. Bioremediation becomes accepted generally as a viable choice employing simply resided microorganisms. In these circumstances, MFC could be employed as a possible means to incite bioremediation for the efficient elimination of numerous contaminants. The unique characteristics include energy-saving, not as much sludge, and power generation makes MFCs exceptional technology contrasted to traditional technologies. The chapter is principally directed on the applicability of MFCs towards the elimination of diverse ecological contaminants, viz. antibiotics, pesticides, synthetic dyes, phenol compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from industrial wastewater. Although the prevailing applicabilities of MFC technology are yet at the lab scales, it will show great prospects for practical applications in the future.