ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with different biocatalysts, focusing mainly on yeast and algae to improve the overall performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC) / microbial carbon-capture cell (MCC) to make it a green technology for its futuristic applications. The major limitation of traditional MFCs is the use of aeration to provide O2, the most promising terminal electron acceptor available till date, which is energy consuming. Bioelectrochemical devices, such as MFC can effectively utilize the microorganism’s catalytic activity to harvest electrical energy from the organic matter present in the wastewater. High oxidation potential and clean reduction product makes oxygen the most common electron acceptor used in MFC technology. Substrate fed in MFC or MCC can be of different chemical oxygen demand concentrations depending on the complexity of substrate ranging from complex molecules of starch to simple acetate. Yeast, used as biocatalyst in MFC, exhibits different electron transfer mechanisms according to the strains used.
