Microbial fuel cell coupled hybrid systems for the treatment of dye wastewater: A review on synergistic mechanism and performance

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) a variant of bioelectrochemical system is an emerging technology where bioenergy is produced through oxidation of organic matter by microorganisms-acting as biocatalyst. MFCs exhibit a great potential in treating recalcitrant pollutants such as dyes in addition to simultaneous electricity generation. Inspite of these advantages, there are certain limitations of MFCs like low power density, instability of electrodes, low efficiency and, incomplete degradation which limits their commercialization and field scale application. Hence researchers are focusing on hybrid systems in order to promote synergistic effect and to achieve greater efficiency. This review paper discusses about the various MFC integrated systems proposed especially for dye degradation. In these discussed integrated systems, MFCs either acts as energy positive system, or as a pretreatment unit to effectively degrade various dyes along with its formed byproducts which are equally toxic for the environment. The hybrid configuration, mechanism of process coupling and their effects on system performance are also discussed in detail. Although MFC-hybrid systems are more promising than standalone MFCs, there are certain limitations and challenges which are needed to be addressed for its practical deployment.

Automated summary

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an emerging technology for bioenergy production through oxidation of organic matter by microorganisms, showing potential in treating pollutants and generating electricity. However, MFCs have limitations, and researchers are focusing on hybrid systems to improve efficiency.