Improving the Performance of Microbial Fuel Cells through Anode Manipulation

The continued focus on microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is due to their applications in power generation and simultaneous wastewater treatment. In the past decade, MFCs have been developed as a new class of energy devices and hold promise for broad applications in bioremediation, bioproduction, and biosensing. Despite the advances, the overall performance of MFCs is still limited, and particularly the energy loss at anode, where electrons are generated, is a restriction. Recent progress on MFC anodes has led to several effective approaches to improve MFC performance. In this Minireview, we discuss the performance losses in MFC anodes from the electrochemical point of view and then focus on the main strategies developed to overcome the anode performance losses. We also discuss the potential directions of future research on MFC anodes. Focus on anodes: The application of microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment has emerged as a green energy technology. In recent work leading to microbial fuel cells with enhanced performance, the anode has been manipulated to improved its biocompatibility, provide sufficient space for bacteria, and facilitate electron transfer.