Recent advance in microbial fuel cell reactor configuration and coupling technologies for removal of antibiotic pollutants

Abstract

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology, as a biological treatment model that can convert antibiotic pollutants into electrical energy, has attracted extensive attention in recent years. Reactor configuration and coupling process play an important role in the treatment of antibiotic wastewater by the MFC, which will affect microbial activity, pollutant removal, and electricity generation. In this review, recent advances of reactor configuration (single chamber, double chamber, and cylinder) and coupling technology (wetland-MFC, sediment-MFC and membrane-MFC, and so on) of the MFC on treating of antibiotics are summarized, and their characteristics in the aspects of pollutant removal and power output are analyzed. Finally, through comparing removal quantity (mg antibiotics per day), the double chamber MFC as the individual treatment unit and the membrane-MFC exhibit better removal quantity.