Synthesizing developments in the usage of solid organic matter in microbial fuel cells: A review
Shuyao Wang, Ademola Adekunle, B. Tartakovsky, Vijaya Raghavan
Abstract
• Solid organic matter substrates usage in MFCs (SOM-MFCs) is emerging due to their practical advantages. • Different aspects of SOM-MFCs research are highlighted through in-depth bibliometric and trend analyses. • Factors for optimal performance in MFCs are highlighted. • Research gaps and areas for future research are synthesized. Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are a prominent feature in renewable and sustainability literature due to their wide range of potential uses. MFCs have found applications in power production, biosensors, and environmental remediation to mention a few. Importantly, however, one of the factors affecting the transition from laboratory to practical usage is the requirement of ensuring that there is enough organic matter supply to sustain microbial activity. To reduce this energy-intensive and human intervention-dependent requirement, there has been a shift towards solid carbon sources in recent times. These solid carbon sources enable the operation of MFCs autonomously for a long time through the slow release or replenishment of organic matter, characteristics of solids. Despite the advantages of solid organic matter substrates, significant progress is not being made due to the uncoordinated and piece-meal information scattered across the existing body of literature. In this work, the substrate categories, electrode materials, reactor configurations, and applications of solid organic matter-based MFCs (SOM-MFCs) have been reviewed comprehensively. We found that although there are a lot of work focused on advancing different aspects or application, one major problem is a lack of contextualization or normalization of results for better planning of future work. Importantly, the present review normalizes and compares the results of different studies using SOM as a substrate in MFCs. Major studies within the identified aspects or application are highlighted while focusing on trends and limitations. Furthermore, to enhance the development of future studies, recommendations for the best approach in future work were made.