Robust application of microbial electrochemical technology coupled with constructed wetla

Abstract

Constructed wetland coupled microbial electrochemical technology (CW-MET) has been rapidly emerging due to its multiple environmental functions. CWs have been merged with microbial fuel cells (MFC), microbial electrolysis cells (MEC), microbial desalination cells (MDC), microbial electrochemical snorkels, and electrocoagulation (EC) like MET systems. CW-MET system has been studied for extended environmental applications such as desalination, electrosynthesis, real-time biosensing, EC, bioelectricity generation, and energy harvesting. Areas with extreme environmental conditions lack power supply and central wastewater facilities, so they suffer from a lack of sanitation and water availability. CW-MDC-like technology not only reduces the salt concentration but also produces some bioelectricity. Similarly, product recovery could be done with CW-MEC-like systems. Power harvesting is also an application of CW-MET, which will be very useful after some thoughtful research to store microbial metabolic power. EC and biosensing will be very good applications for coagulating highly toxic pollutants and real-time pollutant monitoring in wastewater, respectively. Except for efficient wastewater treatment, other applications are in their infancy stage and still limited to laboratory experiments. Practical applications (scale-up) of these systems are restricted by many limitations ranging from design to engineering aspects, economic feasibility, operational limits, and electrochemical reaction hindrance. Recent advancements in the understanding of electrode-microbe interactions, electrode developments, and approaches to enhanced electrochemical reactions provided new insights for CW-MET applications. These developments pave the way for further insights to enhance treatment efficiency, power generation, synthesis, sensing, and other future applications. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.