Microbial electrochemical systems for bioelectricity generation: Current state and future directions

Increasing environmental pollution is a major concern, driven by fossil fuel consumption and growing energy demands. Energy production from various waste materials such as wastewater and sludge, could be proposed as a practical and appropriate solution to the energy crisis and waste disposal simultaneously. This approach not only addresses waste management but also generates different forms of bioenergy through biological treatment processes. Bioelectricity, a renewable and cost-effective energy source, is generated by electric potentials and currents that are produced or exist inside living microorganisms. In fact, bioelectricity is obtained from bioelectric potentials in various biological processes and through the conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy. Recently, the application of microbial electrochemical systems (MESs) has gained significant importance as a promising means of bioelectricity production. Various MESs leading to bioelectricity generation include microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial desalination cells (MDCs). This paper explores the definitions of MESs, their detailed mechanisms, configurations, operational parameters, benefits and limitations, as well as the kinetics and thermodynamics associated with bioelectricity generation technologies. Additionally, it investigated the use of various types of artificial intelligence algorithms for modeling and optimizing biological processes for bioelectricity generation.