Role of Microbial Electrochemical Technologies in the Removal of Micropollutants from Wastewater
摘要
The ubiquitous detection of micropollutants in the environment, mainly stemming from anthropogenic activities, poses significant risks to human health as well as to the ecosystem. The conventional WWTPs are not designed to effectively remove these trace contaminants from wastewater, leading to their persistence in treated effluents and subsequent entry into the human body and ecosystem. In this context, the present chapter highlights the role of microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) for the removal of these biorefractory micropollutants revealing that METs, such as microbial fuel cells, bioelectro-Fenton, microbial electrolysis cells, and microbial remediation cells, can effectively degrade these micropollutants with simultaneous power production and value-added product recovery. This critical assessment presents a detailed mechanism of factors such as the biocatalyst, electrode material, initial concentration of micropollutants, and the nature of micropollutants, which significantly influence the degradation efficiency. Even though METs offer promising alternative to conventional treatment methods for micropollutant removal, scalability, operational stability, and economic viability hinder the commercialization of METs. Thereby, future research should focus on optimizing METs for large-scale applications, improving their economic feasibility, and addressing operational challenges to enhance the practical implementation of METs in wastewater treatment systems.