Microalgal Microbial Fuel Cells: A Comprehensive Review of Mechanisms and Electrochemical Performance

Abstract

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are an emerging technology enabling electricity generation from the oxidation of biodegradable substrates by exoelectrogenic microorganisms. The use of microalgae in Microbial Fuel Cells (mMFCs) presents significant advantages such as their simultaneous contribution to the reduction in operational energy, CO2 capture, value-added compound production, and the endogenous supply of organic matter—through the decay biomass—to generate electrical current with coupled wastewater treatment. To achieve the desired electrical and wastewater performance, it is crucial to optimize the architecture, electrode and membrane characteristics, and operational conditions such as light intensity, CO2 and nutrient availability, pH, and algae strains used in the mMFCs. This optimization can be aided by mathematical models, with the goal of achieving efficient large-scale operation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the advances in Microbial Fuel Cells with microalgae, highlighting their electron transfer mechanisms, evaluating strategies to enhance their efficiency and their potential applications.

Key findings

• ▸Microalgae can contribute to the reduction in operational energy, CO2 capture, and value-added compound production in MFCs.
• ▸The use of microalgae in MFCs can provide an endogenous supply of organic matter to generate electrical current.
• ▸Optimization of architecture, electrode and membrane characteristics, and operational conditions is crucial for efficient MFC operation.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.3390/app15063335

Journal

Applied Sciences

Year

2025