Microbial Fuel Cells: Recent Trends

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is one of the most promising technologies in the area of small scale electricity generation from waste water, industrial sludge or biodegradable wastes. The fabrication of MFCs brings together the knowledge of physics, electrochemistry, biotechnology, chemical engineering and environmental sciences. This review gives a brief description of the evolution, present state and application of the MFC technology with a focus on the individual components which are used in MFCs along with the challenges faced in tailoring these components. The final part of the review also describes the characterization techniques and methods used to evaluate the performance of MFCs. The future of this technology is also outlined.