Recent Advances in Anodes for Microbial Fuel Cells: An Overview

• Main Authors: Asim Ali Yaqoob, Mohamad Nasir Mohamad Ibrahim, Mohd Rafatullah, Yong Shen Chua, Akil Ahmad, Khalid Umar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: microbial fuel cell; anode material; anode fabrication source; wastewater treatment; energy production; anode challenge
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/9/2078

The recycling and treatment of wastewater using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has been attracting significant attention as a way to control energy crises and water pollution simultaneously. Despite all efforts, MFCs are unable to produce high energy or efficiently treat pollutants due to several issues, one being the anode’s material. The anode is one of the most important parts of an MFC. Recently, different types of anode materials have been developed to improve the removal rate of pollutants and the efficiency of energy production. In MFCs, carbon-based materials have been employed as the most commonly preferred anode material. An extensive range of potentials are presently available for use in the fabrication of anode materials and can considerably minimize the current challenges, such as the need for high quality materials and their costs. The fabrication of an anode using biomass waste is an ideal approach to address the present issues and increase the working efficiency of MFCs. Furthermore, the current challenges and future perspectives of anode materials are briefly discussed.