ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the progress and reviews the development of carbon materials that have been used for the air cathodes of microbial fuel cells (MFC). It reviews in detail commercial activated carbon, carbon nanomaterials, and biomass-derived carbon catalysts for cathodes and provides different cathode designs using these carbon materials. The chapter discusses the critical challenges for the practical application of the air cathode MFCs, such as poison tolerance, long-term stability, and mass transport limitations in cathodes. MFC is a device that uses electrochemical active bacteria to catalyze the oxidation of organic pollutants in wastewater. A typical air cathode for MFCs usually consists of a catalyst layer, a support/current collector, and a gas diffusion layer. Metal mesh/foam, such as nickel mesh, nickel foam, and stainless-steel mesh, is commonly used as air cathode supports and current collectors in MFCs.
