Microbial electrochemical technologies for wastewater treatment

Abstract The current global warming crisis together with increasing industrialization and urbanization are demanding alternatives to resolve environmental problems. An interesting group of sustainable technologies is the microbial electrochemical technologies that combine classic abiotic electrochemical reactions with biodegradation organic substrate present in wastewaters. This catalytic activity is controlled by electrogenic microorganisms presents in the microbiome. This chapter presents the principles of this technology in relation to microbial electrochemistry for oxidation and reduction process and finally wastewater treatment with simultaneous energy production. Principally, the chapter highlights the ability of microorganisms to donate and accept electrons to and from anode and cathode electrodes assisted by metabolic processes. In addition, this work discusses the interaction of electrogenic microorganism with the electrodes through external direct or indirect electron transfer with mediators. Furthermore, the mechanisms of recovery of resources and byproducts during redox reactions in microbial electrochemistry systems are analyzed to reach valorization approach.