Integrating Microbial Electrochemical Technologies with Other Biological Systems for the Remediation of Water Pollution and Resource Recovery

The increasing presence of emerging contaminants in water resources poses a significant threat to human health and the environment. Numerous biological systems have been employed for addressing the emerging contaminants however, the efficacy and cost effectiveness of the systems remained intricate. The most recent trend in wastewater treatment is utilizing microbial electrochemical technologies (MET) where microbial activity is harnessed to generate energy while simultaneously treating the wastewater. Moreover, several studies have been performed and evaluated their contaminants removal from diverse water resources. This chapter explores the prevailing biological systems utilized for remediation of water pollutions. Three types of innovative integrations are highlighted and discussed in the chapter which are integrated microbial fuel cell technology (MFC), integrated microbial electrolysis cell technology (MEC) and integrated microbial desalination cell technologies (MDC). While highlighting these innovative technologies, this chapter also addresses the challenges faced especially in the real implementation such as scalability, cost efficacy, overall system optimizations and long-term durability of the integrated technology. This chapter offers insights into new innovative technologies for sustainable water remediation and resource recovery.