Microbial Fuel Cells and Sustainable Electricity Generation from Lignocellulosic Waste Biomass
摘要
The demand for energy is increasing and it is necessary to research different methods to replace the current fossil fuels approaches, which need to be more sustainable and use renewable feedstock for energy generation. In this sense, microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a cost-effective and eco-friendly power generation alternative, because it converts the chemical energy stored in organic and inorganic molecules directly into electricity, using microorganisms as biocatalysts. When lignocellulosic biomass is used as feedstock in MFC, more environmental benefits are achieved (reuse of waste and free GHG emission). However, there are a few drawbacks of using lignocellulosic biomass in microbial fuel cell, which difficult the upscaling of the system, such as the need for pretreatment and the effect on the extracellular electron transfer. Thereby, this chapter provides insight into the use of lignocellulosic biomass in MFC for power generation and future perspective.