Tailoring Surface Properties of Electrodes for Synchronous Enhanced Extracellular Electron Transfer and Enriched Exoelectrogens in Microbial Fuel Cells

The substrate configuration influences pollutant removal in constructed wetlands: From the aspects of submerged status of substrate and carbon-felt distribution

Redox regulation dominates the pollutant removal in constructed wetlands (CWs). To enhance efficient and cost-effective nitrogen removal, this study intended to build an unsaturated zone and add carbon-felt material for electron donor/acceptor adjustment. The unsaturated zone heights (0, 10, 20 cm) and carbon-felt distribution patterns (evenly scattered (CWSE), continuously linked (CWL), and head-tail linked like microbial fuel cells (CWMFC)) were simultaneously adjusted. Moreover, their effects and underlying microbial mechanisms on water purification were investigated. Results indicated that CWs with a 20 cm unsaturated zone achieved over 99 % ammonia nitrogen removal. CWSE facilitated optimal pollutant-microbe contact, enabling efficient in-situ electron utilization for 64.27 % total nitrogen removal through simultaneous nitrification-denitrification and anammox. In CWL, continuous carbon-felt distribution allowed efficient electron transport at a relatively macro-area and enhanced electron consumption by oxygen at the surface, leading to superior ammonia oxidation (82.97 %) in the middle area of CWL. Conversely, CWMFC facilitated direct electron transfer through the whole CW, enriched Geobacter at the top and Vibrio at the bottom, achieving 84.23 % total nitrogen removal through nitrification-denitrification under high oxygenation. This study elucidated microbial community niche differentiation in CWs mediated by carbon-felt electron transport and proposed optimal application scenarios for different carbon-felt configurations.

Research on the impact of polydopamine hydrogel electrodes with various doping methods on the performance of microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have attracted considerable interest as a promising bioelectrochemical technology for directly converting chemical energy into electrical energy. However, their performance remains limited by the properties of anode materials and their interactions with microbial communities. In this study, PPy-MXene/PDA and PDA-PPy-MXene composite hydrogel electrodes (PMP and PPM) were fabricated on a conductive carbon felt substrate to systematically evaluate the influence of different PDA doping strategies on electrode performance. The PMP electrode exhibited a maximum power density of 3.62 W/m2, which represented a 34.6% increase compared to the PPM electrode (2.69 W/m2). Moreover, the protein content on the PMP electrode reached 38.05 ± 4.88 mg/cm2, 3.79 times higher than that on the PPM electrode (10.05 ± 3.05 mg/cm2). High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the relative abundance of Geobacter on the PMP electrode surface reached 73.66%, significantly higher than the 51.17% observed on the PPM electrode. These results are attributed to the PDA doping method involving secondary deposition on the electrode surface. This method optimizes the electron transfer pathways and significantly enhances the electrode's conductivity and electrochemical activity by altering the surface roughness of the electrode and increasing the content of hydrophilic functional groups. Consequently, it significantly promotes the enrichment of electroactive microorganisms and improves the efficiency of extracellular electron transfer. This study optimized PDA doping strategies to significantly enhance the electrochemical performance of MFCs, providing new insights and approaches for the rational design of high-performance bioelectrochemical electrodes.

Harnessing the power of microbial fuel cells as pioneering green technology: advancing sustainable energy and wastewater treatment through innovative nanotechnology

The purpose of this review is to gain attention about intro the advanced and green technology that has dual action for both clean wastewater and produce energy. Water scarcity and the continuous energy crisis have arisen as major worldwide concerns, requiring the creation of ecologically friendly and sustainable energy alternatives. The rapid exhaustion of fossil resources needs the development of alternative energy sources that reduce carbon emissions while maintaining ecological balance. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) provide a viable option by producing power from the oxidation of organic and biodegradable chemicals using microorganisms as natural catalysts. This technology has sparked widespread attention due to its combined potential to cleanse wastewater and recover energy. The review presents a complete examination of current advances in MFCs technology, with a focus on the crucial role of anode materials in improving their performance. Moreover, different anode materials and their nanoscale modifications are being studied to boost MFC efficiency. This current review also focused on the effects of surface modifications and different anode compositions on power generation and system stability. It also investigates the electrochemical principles behind these enhancements, providing insights into the economic potential of MFCs. MFCs provide a long-term solution to energy and environmental issues by addressing both wastewater treatment and energy production.

Bifunctional electrode materials: Enhancing microbial fuel cell efficiency with 3D hierarchical porous Fe3O4/Fe-N-C structures

The rational development of high-performance anode and cathode electrodes for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is crucial for enhancing MFC performance. However, complex synthesis methods and single-performance electrode materials hinder their large-scale implementation. Here, three-dimensional hierarchical porous (3DHP) Fe3O4/Fe-N-C composites were prepared via the hard template method. Notably, Fe3O4/Fe-N-C-0.04-600 demonstrated uniformly dispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles and abundant Fe-Nx and pyridinic nitrogen, showing excellent catalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.74 V (vs. RHE), surpassing Pt/C (0.66 V vs. RHE). Moreover, Fe3O4/Fe-N-C-0.04-600 demonstrated favorable biocompatibility as an anode material, enhancing anode biomass and extracellular electron transfer efficiency. Sequencing results confirmed its promotion of electrophilic microorganisms in the anode biofilm. MFCs employing Fe3O4/Fe-N-C-0.04-600 as both anode and cathode materials achieved a maximum power density of 831.8 ± 27.7 mW m-2, enduring operation for 38 days. This study presents a novel approach for rational MFC design, emphasizing bifunctional materials capable of serving as anode materials for microorganism growth and as cathode catalysts for ORR catalysis.

Enhanced pollution control using sediment microbial fuel cells for ecological remediation

Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell (SMFC) technology is an innovative approach to facilitate the degradation of sedimentary organic matter by electroactive microorganisms, transforming chemical energy into electrical energy and modulating the redox potential at the sediment-water interface, consequently controlling the release of endogenous pollutants. The synergistic effects of various environmental factors and intrinsic conditions can significantly impact SMFC performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of SMFC development in research and application for water environment treatment and ecological remediation, a perspective rarely explored in previous reviews. It discusses optimization strategies for SMFC implementation, emphasizing advancements in novel or cost-effective electrode materials, the dynamics of microbial communities, and the control of typical pollutants. The review suggests a virtuous cycle path for SMFC development, highlighting future research needs, including integrating cross-disciplinary approaches like artificial intelligence, genomics, and mathematical modeling, to enhance the deployment of SMFC in real-world environmental remediation.

Enhanced electroactive bacteria enrichment and facilitated extracellular electron transfer in microbial fuel cells via polydopamine coated graphene aerogel anode

The structure and surface physicochemical properties of anode play a crucial role in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). To enhance the enrichment of exoelectrogen and facilitate extracellular electron transfer (EET), a three-dimensional macroporous graphene aerogel with polydopamine coating was successfully introduced to modify carbon brush (PGA/CB). The three-dimensional graphene aerogel (GA) with micrometer pores improved the space utilization efficiency of microorganisms. Polydopamine (PDA) coating enhanced the physicochemical properties of the electrode surface by introducing abundant functional groups and nitrogen-containing active sites. MFCs equipped with PGA/CB anodes (PGA/CB-MFCs) demonstrated superior power generation compared to GA/CB-MFCs and CB-MFCs (MFCs with GA/CB and CB anodes respectively), including a 23.0 % and 30.1 % reduction in start-up time, and an increase in maximum power density by 2.43 and 1.24 times respectively. The higher bioelectrochemical activity exhibited by the biofilm of PGA/CB anode and the promoted riboflavin secretion by PGA modification imply the enhanced EET efficiency. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequence analysis of the biofilms revealed successful enrichment of Geobacter on PGA/CB anodes. These findings not only validate the positive impact of the synergistic effects between GA and PDA in promoting EET and improving MFC performance but also provide valuable insights for electrode design in other bioelectrochemical systems.

Integrated tea polyphenols and polydopamine functionalized graphene anode for improved bioelectricity generation and Cr(VI) reduction in microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the dual advantage of mitigating Cr(Ⅵ) wastewater ecological threats while generating electricity. However, the low electron transfer efficiency and the limited enrichment of active electrogens are barriers to MFCs advancement. This study describes the synthesis of the TP-PDA-RGO@CC negative electrode using tea polyphenol as a reducing agent and polydopamine-doped graphene, significantly enhances the roughness and hydrophilicity of the anode. The charge transfer resistance was reduced by 94%, and the peak MFC power was 1375.80 mW m-2. Under acidic conditions, the Cr(Ⅵ) reduction rate reached 92% within 24 h, with a 52% increase in coulombic efficiency. Biodiversity analysis shows that the TP-PDA-RGO@CC anode could enrich electrogens, thereby boosting the electron generation mechanism at the anode and enhancing the reduction efficiency of Cr(Ⅵ) in the cathode chamber. This work emphasizes high-performance anode materials for efficient pollutant removal, energy conversion, and biomass reuse.

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids support biosimilar flavin electron transfer

Understanding electron transport with electroactive microbes is key to engineering effective and scalable bio-electrochemical technologies. Much of this electron transfer occurs through small-molecule flavin mediators that perform one-electron transfers in abiotic systems but concerted two-electron transfer in biological systems, rendering abiotic systems less efficient. To boost efficiency, the principles guiding flavin electron transfer must be elucidated, necessitating a tunable system. Ionic liquids (ILs) offer such a platform due to their chemical diversity. In particular, imidazolium-containing ILs that resemble the amino acid histidine are bio-similar electrolytes that enable the study of flavin electron transfer. Using the model IL 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ([Emim][BF4]), we observe concerted two-electron transfer between flavin mononucleotide and an unmodified glassy carbon electrode surface, while a one-electron transfer occurs in standard inorganic electrolytes. This work demonstrates the power of ILs to enable the mechanistic study of biological electron transfer, providing critical guidelines for improving electrochemical technologies based on these biological properties.

Vanadium nitride decorated carbon cloth anode promotes aniline degradation and electricity generation of MFCs by efficiently enriching electroactive bacteria and promoting extracellular electron transfer

To increase the colonization of electroactive bacteria and accelerate the rate of extracellular electron transfer, a simple coated anode of microbial fuel cell was designed. Here, we took advantage of vanadium nitride (VN) particles to modify the carbon cloth (VN@CC). Compared with bare carbon cloth, the designed VN@CC bioanodes exhibited a larger electrochemically active area, better biocompatibility, and smaller charge transfer impedance. The MFC with VN@CC bioanodes achieved the maximum power density of 3.89 W m-2 and chemical oxygen demand removal rate of 84% when 1000 mg L-1 aniline was degraded, which were about 1.88 and 2.8 times that of CC. The morphology of biofilm and 16s rRNA gene sequence analysis proved that the VN@CC bioanodes facilitated the enrichment of electroactive bacteria (99.02%) and increased the ratio of fast electron transfer in the extracellular electron transfer, thus enhancing the MFC performance of aniline degradation and power output. This work disclosed that it was feasible to increase the overall performance of MFC by enhancing the EET efficiency and presented valuable insights for future work.

Influence of carbon-based cathodes on biofilm composition and electrochemical performance in soil microbial fuel cells

Increasing energy demands and environmental pollution concerns press for sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies. Soil microbial fuel cell (SMFC) technology has great potential for carbon-neutral bioenergy generation and self-powered electrochemical bioremediation. In this study, an in-depth assessment on the effect of several carbon-based cathode materials on the electrochemical performance of SMFCs is provided for the first time. An innovative carbon nanofibers electrode doped with Fe (CNFFe) is used as cathode material in membrane-less SMFCs, and the performance of the resulting device is compared with SMFCs implementing either Pt-doped carbon cloth (PtC), carbon cloth, or graphite felt (GF) as the cathode. Electrochemical analyses are integrated with microbial analyses to assess the impact on both electrogenesis and microbial composition of the anodic and cathodic biofilm. The results show that CNFFe and PtC generate very stable performances, with a peak power density (with respect to the cathode geometric area) of 25.5 and 30.4 mW m^-2, respectively. The best electrochemical performance was obtained with GF, with a peak power density of 87.3 mW m^-2. Taxonomic profiling of the microbial communities revealed differences between anodic and cathodic communities. The anodes were predominantly enriched with Geobacter and Pseudomonas species, while cathodic communities were dominated by hydrogen-producing and hydrogenotrophic bacteria, indicating H₂ cycling as a possible electron transfer mechanism. The presence of nitrate-reducing bacteria, combined with the results of cyclic voltammograms, suggests microbial nitrate reduction occurred on GF cathodes. The results of this study can contribute to the development of effective SMFC design strategies for field implementation.

Microbe-Anode Interactions: Comparing the impact of genetic and material engineering approaches to improve the performance of microbial electrochemical systems (MES)

Microbial electrochemical systems (MESs) are a highly versatile platform technology with a particular focus on power or energy production. Often, they are used in combination with substrate conversion (e.g., wastewater treatment) and production of value-added compounds via electrode-assisted fermentation. This rapidly evolving field has seen great improvements both technically and biologically, but this interdisciplinarity sometimes hampers overseeing strategies to increase process efficiency. In this review, we first briefly summarize the terminology of the technology and outline the biological background that is essential for understanding and thus improving MES technology. Thereafter, recent research on improvements at the biofilm-electrode interface will be summarized and discussed, distinguishing between biotic and abiotic approaches. The two approaches are then compared, and resulting future directions are discussed. This mini-review therefore provides basic knowledge of MES technology and the underlying microbiology in general and reviews recent improvements at the bacteria-electrode interface.

Enhanced microorganism attachment and flavin excretion in microbial fuel cells via an N,S-codoped carbon microflower anode

Commonly used dense arrays of nanomaterials on carbon cloth (CC) are not suitable to accommodate microorganisms in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) due to their unmatched size. To simultaneously enrich exoelectrogens and accelerate the extracellular electron transfer (EET) process, SnS₂ nanosheets were selected as sacrificial templates to prepare binder-free N,S-codoped carbon microflowers (N,S-CMF@CC) by polymer coating and pyrolysis. N,S-CMF@CC showed a cumulative total charge of 125.70C/m², approximately 2.11 times higher than that of CC, indicating its better electricity storage capacity. Moreover, the interface transfer resistance and diffusion coefficient in bioanodes were 42.68 Ω and 9.27 × 10^-10 cm²/s, respectively, superior to CC (141.3 Ω and 1.06 × 10^-11 cm²/s). Remarkably, N,S-codoped carbon microflowers excreted more flavin than CC, as confirmed by continuous fluorescence monitoring. Biofilm and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that exoelectrogens were enriched, and nanoconduits were generated on the N,S-CMF@CC anode. In particular, flavin excretion was also promoted on our hierarchical electrode, effectively driving the EET process. MFCs equipped with the N,S-CMF@CC anode could deliver a power density of 2.50 W/m², coulombic efficiency of 22.77 %, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal amount of 90.72 mg/L/d, higher than that of bare CC. These findings not only demonstrate that our anode is capable of solving the cell enrichment issue, but it may also increase EET rates by bound flavin with outer membrane c-type cytochromes (OMCs) to simultaneously boost the power generation and wastewater treatment performance of MFCs.

Enhanced power generation, organics removal and water desalination in a microbial desalination cell (MDC) with flow electrodes

This study introduced a flow electrode microbial desalination cell (FE-MDC), which used activated carbon (AC) particles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the electrode to promote electron harvesting. The recovered electricity energy (0.371 KWh/m³) and columbic efficiency (66.7 %) of the FE-MDC were over 2 times higher than those of the conventional MDC without the flow electrode. Consequently, the salt and COD removal efficiencies were enhanced to 77.8 % and 91.2 %, respectively. Electrochemical analysis implied that the charge transfer resistance of the system was reduced by the flow electrode. Electron accumulation and charging-discharging experiments proved that the flow electrode could accumulate electrons and transfer the electrons to the fixed anode. Bacterial community analysis indicated that the bacterial activity was improved by the flow electrode. The content of the exoelectrogen Pseudomonas increased from 5.0 % to 14.7 %, and Hydrogenophaga improved from 1.4 % to 5.9 %. Finally, a continuous operation mode of the FE-MDC was established, and the flow electrode slurry was returned to the anodic chamber for recirculated utilization. The voltage output, COD removal, and salt removal during the operation mode reached 610 mV, 78.8 %, and 76.1 %, respectively. This study proved that the flow electrode is a promising way to promote the practical application of MDC technology.

Regulating the Electronic Structure of Cu-Nx Active Sites for Efficient and Durable Oxygen Reduction Catalysis to Improve Microbial Fuel Cell Performance

The efficient and durable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst is of great significance to boost power generation and pollutant degradation in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Although transition metal-nitrogen-codoped carbon materials are an important class of ORR catalysts, copper-nitrogen-codoped carbon is not considered a suitable MFC cathode catalyst due to the insufficient performance and especially instability. Herein, we report a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous copper, nitrogen, and boron codoped carbon (3DHP Cu-N/B-C) catalyst synthesized by the dual template method. The introduced B atom as an electron donor increases the electron density around the Cu-N_x active site, which significantly promotes the efficiency of the ORR process and stabilizes the active site by preventing demetallization. Thus, the 3DHP Cu-N/B-C catalyst exhibited excellent ORR performance with the half-wave potential of 0.83 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) in a 0.1 M KOH electrolyte and 0.68 V (vs RHE) in a 50 mM PBS electrolyte. Meanwhile, 3DHP Cu-N/B-C had satisfactory stability with 94.16% current retention after 24 h of chronoamperometry test, which is better than that of 20% Pt/C. The MFCs using 3DHP Cu-N/B-C not only showed a maximum power density of up to 760.14 ± 19.03 mW m^-2 but also operating durability of more than 50 days. Moreover, the 16S rDNA sequencing results presented that the 3DHP Cu-N/B-C catalyst had a positive effect on the microbial community of the MFC with more anaerobic electroactive bacteria in the anode biofilm and fewer aerobic bacteria in the cathode biofilm. This study provides a new approach for the development of Cu-based ORR electrocatalysts as well as guidance for the rational design of high-performance MFCs.

Simultaneous boost of anodic electron transfer and exoelectrogens enrichment by decorating electrospinning carbon nanofibers in microbial fuel cell

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising technology in wastewater recovery driven by microbial metabolism. However, the low power output resulting from the sluggish extracellular electron transfer (EET) between the anode surface and exoelectrogens dramatically restricted the further application. This study fabricated a high-performance anode by decorating porous and conductive electrospinning carbon nanofibers (CNFs). The maximum power density in MFC modified with 14 wt% polyacrylonitrile CNFs (M-CNF14, 9.6 ± 0.2 W m^-3) was 1.9 and 2.7 times higher than carbon black modified MFC (M-CB, 5.1 ± 0.1 W m^-3) and the blank (M-BA, 3.6 ± 0.1 W m^-3), respectively. Denser biofilm and more microbial nanowires were observed in the M-CNF14 anode than in other conditions. Furthermore, the redox peak current of c-type cytochrome was 1.7-21 times higher in M-CNF14 than in the blank control, verifying the preferable EET activity. Several exoelectrogens like Petrimonas and Comamonas were enriched in M-CNF14 and showed a positive correlation to power generation. Besides, more simplified and modular interrelations among exoelectrogens and other bacteria were obtained in M-CNF14. This study revealed the microbial-related mechanism for simultaneously improving EET and exoelectrogens enrichment by CNFs modified anode, providing guidelines for high-performance wastewater recovery.

Microbial-Inspired Surface Patterning for Selective Bacterial Actions for Enhanced Performance in Microbial Fuel Cells

The performance of any bio-electrochemical system is dependent on the efficiency of electrode-microbial interactions. Surface properties play a focal role in bacterial attachment and biofilm formation on the electrodes. In addition to electrode surface properties, selective bacterial adhesion onto the electrode surface is mandatory to mitigate energy loss due to undesired bacterial interactions on the electrode surface. In the present study, microbial-patterned graphite scaffolds are developed for selective bacterial-electrode interactions. A power density as high as 1105 mW/m² is achieved with mG-E (a graphite electrode patterned with Escherichia coli), which is about 3 times higher than that of the pristine graphite electrode (370 mW/m²). Initial mechanical pre-treatment of the graphite electrode, followed by bacterial patterning, results in the formation of a unique cobblestone topography with a tuned surface area of 127.12 m²/g. This provides suitable morphology with enhanced active sites for selective bacterial intercalation in graphite layers. This cannot be otherwise achieved by any mechanical or other means. A unique methodology of symbolic regression is adopted to validate a genetic algorithm suitable for predicting a perfect correlation between surface characteristics and electrochemical characteristics with a minimum root-mean-square error of 0.08. The bacterial intercalation onto the graphite electrode causes protuberance of the graphite layers that reduces the surface potential and resistance, leading to high electron transfer. The study presents a unique bacterial-inspired surface patterning on the anode, which is critical for the performance of a microbial fuel cell.

3D Hierarchical Co8FeS8-FeCo2O4/N-CNTs@CF with an Enhanced Microorganisms-Anode Interface for Improving Microbial Fuel Cell Performance

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising ecofriendly techniques for harvesting bioenergy from organic and inorganic matter. Currently, it is challenging to design MFC anodes with favorable microorganism attachment and fast extracellular electron transfer (EET) rate for high MFC performance. Here we prepared N-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) on carbon felt (CF) and used it as a support for growing hierarchical Co₈FeS₈-FeCo₂O₄/NCNTs core-shell nanostructures (FeCo/NCNTs@CF). We observed improved wettability, specific areal capacitance, and diffusion coefficient, as well as small charge transfer resistance compared with bare CF. MFCs equipped with FeCo/NCNTs@CF displayed a power density of 3.04 W/m² and COD removal amount of 221.0 mg/L/d, about 47.6 and 290.1% improvements compared with that of CF. Biofilm morphology and 16s rRNA gene sequence analysis proved that our anode facilitated the enrichment growth of exoelectrogens. Flavin secretion was also promoted on our hierarchical elelctrode, effectively driving the EET process. This work disclosed that hierarchical nanomaterials modified electrode with tailored physicochemical properties is a promising platform to simultaneously enhance exoelectrogen attachment and EET efficiency for MFCs.

Mapping Research on Microbial Fuel Cells in Wastewater Treatment: A Co-Citation Analysis

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising technologies, aiming at treating different types of industrial and domestic wastewater. In recent years, more and more publications focusing on wastewater treatment have been published. Based on the retrieval of publications from Web of Science Core Collection database, the new emerging trends of microbial fuel cells in wastewater treatment was evaluated with a scientometric analysis method from 1995 to 2020. All publications downloaded from (WOS) were screened by inclusion criteria, and 2233 publications were obtained for further analysis. Document co-citation and burst detection of MFCs in wastewater treatment were analyzed and visualized by software of CiteSpace. Our study indicated that “Environmental Science” is the most popular discipline, while the journal of Bioresource Technology published the greatest quantity of articles in the field of MFCs applied wastewater treatment. China and the Chinese Academy of Science are the most productive country and institution, respectively. “Azo dye” has become the new research topic, which indicates the application area and the development of MFCs. The performance of MFCs for wastewater treatment has been widely discussed. The findings of this study may ameliorate the researcher in seizing the frontier of MFCs in wastewater treatment.