Microbial fuel cells come of age

OVERVIEW: Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an emerging technology which directly converts chemical energy stored in organic matter to electricity. Driven by the increasing concern over the energy-climate crisis and environment pollution, MFCs have been developed rapidly in the past decade. Currently, MFCs are making the challenging step from laboratory to practical application. This paper focuses on MFC patents and the applications of MFCs. IMPACT: MFCs make it possible to directly exploit bio-electricity from organic wastes with a higher energy transforming efficiency than other traditional technologies. The wide application of MFCs will significantly reduce the energy dependence on fossil fuel as well as the relative problems of climate and environmental pollution. APPLICATIONS: MFCs have been deployed in various practical environments, such as wastewater treatment plants, seafloor, etc. The electricity generated by MFCs has been used to charge low power devices. More applications have been funded or are to be undertaken. The successful pilot applications of MFCs promise a bright future for this technology. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry