ABSTRACT
248Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are emerging as a versatile renewable energy technology. This is particularly because of the multidisciplinary applications of this eco-friendly technology. The technology depends on the electroactive bacteria, popularly known as exoelectrogens to simultaneously produce electric power and treat wastewater. The electrode modification with nanoparticles or some other pretreatment methods and use of genetically modified microorganisms have shown to enhance the MFC performance for electricity generation and wastewater treatment. The MFC technology has been also investigated for the removal of various heavy metals and toxic elements, and to detect the presence of toxic elements present in the wastewater. This chapter provides a comprehensive and the state-of-the-art information on prime applications (electricity generation, wastewater treatment and bioremediation) of the MFC technology and also some methods that can be employed to improve the MFC performance for these applications.
