Microbial fuel cell applications for removal of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants: A review

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are considered as the potential approaches to remediate the environments contaminated by hydrocarbons. This review addresses the application of BESs particularly microbial fuel cells (MFCs) in degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons, including BTEXs, from soil, water, wastewater and sediments. Details on reactor design and critical issues are discussed. Aspects on electrodes, redox mediators and membranes are evaluated, including economic feasibility. The microbial community is considered in detail. It can be concluded, that comparing to classic configurations, single-chamber air-cathode reactors are more cost-effective. Secondly, systems based on small-scale units are recommended for future developments.