Advances in Microbial Fuel Cell Technology: Survey of Organic Substrate Utilization and Microbiological Approaches

Microbial fuel cell technology is seen as a viable replacement for conventional fossil fuels. It holds significant promises for energy generation, waste management and biomass enhancement. They are viewed as an emerging and economical solution for treating organic waste while generating bioelectricity. To ensure their practical application, careful optimization and precise design are essential. However, there are certain technological hurdles, including low power efficiency and operating stability. These challenges hinder the feasibility and commercialization of MFC systems. The technology behind microbial fuel cells has been shown to effectively treat chemical waste while recovering valuable chemical products like heavy metals, all while generating electrical energy. However, a major obstacle in the development of MFCs is scaling them up for real-world applications, which involves enhancing the potential for the treatment of wastewater and generating energy from several cells within a single MFC system. This review provides an extensive overview of recent breakthroughs in MFC technology, the examination of many substrates, microbial processes in MFCs, fruitful applications of this technology and insights for researchers investigating various factors in microbial fuel cell studies.