HYDROGEN GENERATION THROUGH MICROBIAL FUEL CELL (MFC): A REVIEW

Abstract

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical device that harnesses the power of respiring microbes
to convert organic substrates directly into electrical energy. At its core, the MFC is a fuel cell, which transforms
chemical energy into electricity using oxidation reduction reactions. The microbial fuel cells rely on living biocatalysts
to facilitate the movement of electrons throughout their systems instead of the traditional chemically catalyzed
oxidation of a fuel at the anode and reduction at the cathode. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) have gained importance in
the last few decades due to their ability to produce energy. MFC typically consists of several components primarily
divided into two chambers, that is, a chamber containing the anode and cathode, respectively. These chambers are
separated by a proton exchange membrane (PEM). The microbes present in the anodic chamber are provided with a
favourable substrate which is an aerobically degraded to release electrons which are transported from the anode to
the cathode via external circuit and the protons generated are selectively passed through the exchange membrane.
Both these products produced due to the action of the microbes in the anodic compartment travel to the cathode and
react with oxygen to produce water. MFCs are devices that can convert chemical energy into electrical energy by the
process of oxidation of various carbon sources or even organic wastes carried out by electrochemically active bacteria
(EAB). The current work presents a state-of-the-art review on this important topic.