4.6 Review

Sustainable Syntheses and Sources of Nanomaterials for Microbial Fuel/Electrolysis Cell Applications: An Overview of Recent Progress

Journal

PROCESSES
Volume 9, Issue 7, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/pr9071221

Keywords

carbon nanomaterials; green syntheses; metal nanoparticles; microbial fuel cells; microbial electrolysis cells

Funding

  1. Brain Pool Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) - Ministry of Science and ICT [2017H1D3A1A01013887, 2018H1D3A1A01037054]
  2. Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea - Ministry of Education [NRF-2019R1I1A1A01062458]
  3. National Research Foundation of Korea [2017H1D3A1A01013887, 2018H1D3A1A01037054] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Studies focus on finding green synthesis routes and cheap sources for the most common nanoparticles used in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), in order to replace commercial nanoparticles; the detailed showcase of naturally occurring, recycled, and alternative raw materials for nanoparticle synthesis; cases of effectively utilizing naturally derived or sustainable nanoparticles in microbial devices demonstrate the value of this approach as a solid alternative.
The use of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is quickly spreading in the fields of bioenergy generation and wastewater treatment, as well as in the biosynthesis of valuable compounds for microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). MFCs and MECs have not been able to penetrate the market as economic feasibility is lost when their performances are boosted by nanomaterials. The nanoparticles used to realize or decorate the components (electrodes or the membrane) have expensive processing, purification, and raw resource costs. In recent decades, many studies have approached the problem of finding green synthesis routes and cheap sources for the most common nanoparticles employed in MFCs and MECs. These nanoparticles are essentially made of carbon, noble metals, and non-noble metals, together with a few other few doping elements. In this review, the most recent findings regarding the sustainable preparation of nanoparticles, in terms of syntheses and sources, are collected, commented, and proposed for applications in MFC and MEC devices. The use of naturally occurring, recycled, and alternative raw materials for nanoparticle synthesis is showcased in detail here. Several examples of how these naturally derived or sustainable nanoparticles have been employed in microbial devices are also examined. The results demonstrate that this approach is valuable and could represent a solid alternative to the expensive use of commercial nanoparticles.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available