Abstract
Aerobic bidirectional microbial electrodes (ABME) oxidize matter in anodic conditions (substrate supply, no oxygen) and reduce oxygen in cathodic conditions (oxygen supply, no substrate). The different experimental protocols used to design them, their electrochemical performance and the microbial populations involved are reviewed here. In spite of a limited number of studies, ABMEs have already shown promising capabilities to solve the issues of oxygen crossover and pH control in microbial fuel cells. They may also broaden the field of efficient electroactive bacteria to phyla other than Proteobacteria.
Highlights
At the beginning of the microbial fuel cell (MFC) story, things seemed clear: the microbial anode had to be anaerobic
The use of aerobic bidirectional microbial electrodes (ABME) has been contemplated for anaerobic–aerobic azo dye treatment, based on dark/light reactions alternating in a solar MFC equipped with an algal-bacterial biofilm
ABMEs have definitely demonstrated that some efficient microbial anodes can accept regular expositions to air
Summary
At the beginning of the microbial fuel cell (MFC) story, things seemed clear: the microbial anode had to be anaerobic. The truth of this statement has become less obvious with the demonstration that some microbial anodes can tolerate oxic environments [1] and can even benefit from micro-aeration [2,3]. Microbial anodes have been fully reconciled with oxygen by the advent of aerobic bidirectional microbial electrodes (ABME). Aerobic bidirectional microbial electrodes may offer elegant alter natives to improve MFC performance. They should be at the core of microbial electrochemical snorkels, which are to be implemented in the fuzzy oxic/anoxic zone of wastewater treatment tanks [8]. The state of the art of ABMEs is reviewed in order to reveal their specific advantages and to point out the directions in which there is an urgent need for research development
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