Are integrated bioelectrochemical technologies feasible for wastewater management?

The need for sustainable technological solutions for wastewater management at different scales has led to the emergence of several promising integrated bioelectrochemical technologies in the past decade. A thorough assessment of these technologies is imperative to understand their practical implementation feasibility and to identify the key challenges to prioritise the research and development work. Our multicriteria-based assessment reveals that the integrated technologies are efficient for wastewater treatment in terms of normalised land footprint [(0.31-1.39 m2/population equivalent (PE))] - and energy consumption (0.18-1.49 kWH/m3) as compared to the conventional biotechnologies, and suggests that they have potential for real-world application. Specifying the boundaries according to their treatment capabilities and scale-up potential besides niche application sites or geographical locations is required to expedite their transition to the real-world wastewater management sector.

Automated summary

The need for sustainable technological solutions for wastewater management has led to the emergence of promising integrated bioelectrochemical technologies. Assessing these technologies is crucial to understand their feasibility and identify key challenges. A multicriteria-based assessment reveals their efficiency in terms of land footprint and energy consumption, suggesting potential for real-world application. Specifying treatment capabilities, scale-up potential, and application sites will expedite their transition to the wastewater management sector.