{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T20:47:43Z","timestamp":1775594863765,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,22]],"date-time":"2023-03-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1679443200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Energy Res."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are an emerging green technology which offers several comparative advantages over other technologies for utilizing biomass. It is a technology that treats (cleans) wet organic waste, converting chemical energy to electricity that is used for connected peripherals and target applications. The main advantage is the technology\u2019s ability to utilise wet biomass in suspension or in solution (i.e., too wet to burn) and change the biomass directly into bioenergy in the form of electricity. All other technologies either combust the biomass directly (e.g., wood fuel) or change the biomass into refined fuels which are then combusted or fed to chemical fuel cells to generate heat or electricity. Excluding methane production from biomass, and fermentation leading to hydrogen production, all other biomass\/biofuel technologies utilize dry plant matter, which mainly consists of cellulose or lignocellulose and they cannot directly utilize sludge or slurries of organic detritus material. The substrates used for MFCs are not traditionally made into organic fuels, as with other biomass technologies, but are used directly as fuel, recasting the \u201cwaste\u201d suspensions and solutions, and promoting them into fuels themselves. To a stack of MFCs, a polluted river, landfill leachate or farmland run-off, can all be reassigned as fuel. This wet fuel is widespread around the planet, the amounts found and the energy contained within are significant, and the cost as a fuel is close to zero. This review gives a general overview of biomass energy along with extraction techniques and compares advantages and disadvantages of MFCs with other biomass technologies for producing electrical energy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fenrg.2023.1108389","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,22]],"date-time":"2023-03-22T04:55:18Z","timestamp":1679460918000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["The future role of MFCs in biomass energy"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Ioannis","family":"Ieropoulos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Greenman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"529","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2018.12.232","article-title":"Characterisation and variability of greenhouse gas emissions from biomethane production via anaerobic digestion of maize","volume":"218","author":"Adams","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"70","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tibtech.2010.11.006","article-title":"Waste to bioproduct conversion with undefined mixed cultures: The carboxylate platform","volume":"29","author":"Agler","year":"2011","journal-title":"Trends Biotechnol."},{"key":"B3","article-title":"US department of energy, energy efficiency and renewable energy, Energy's vehicle technologies Office","year":"2022"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"118965","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fuel.2020.118965","article-title":"A realistic scenario on microalgae based biodiesel production: Third generation biofuel","volume":"284","author":"Ananthi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Fuel"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1107","DOI":"10.1016\/j.energy.2019.01.068","article-title":"Biomass-related sustainability: A review of the literature and interpretive structural modeling","volume":"171","author":"Azevedo","year":"2019","journal-title":"Energy"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"158","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rser.2013.11.022","article-title":"Development of biohydrogen production by photobiological, fermentation and electrochemical processes: A review","volume":"31","author":"Azwar","year":"2014","journal-title":"Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6506","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1711842115","article-title":"The biomass distribution on","volume":"115","author":"Bar","year":"2018","journal-title":"Earth. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101221","DOI":"10.1016\/j.isci.2020.101221","article-title":"Value proposition of untapped wet wastes: Carboxylic acid production through anaerobic digestion","volume":"23","author":"Bhatt","year":"2020","journal-title":"iScience"},{"key":"B9","article-title":"Taking stock: A global assessment of net zero targets","volume-title":"Energy & climate intelligence unit and oxford net zero","author":"Black","year":"2021"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1083","DOI":"10.1007\/s00253-011-3583-x","article-title":"Analysis of the microbial community of the biocathode of a hydrogen-producing microbial electrolysis cell","volume":"92","author":"Croese","year":"2011","journal-title":"Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol."},{"key":"B11","first-page":"55","article-title":"Biohydrogen production","volume-title":"CRC press taylor & francis group (2014)","author":"Das","year":"2014"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12941","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1007783107","article-title":"Shifts in metabolic scaling, production, and efficiency across major evolutionary transitions of life","volume":"107","author":"Delong","year":"2010","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci."},{"key":"B13","unstructured":"Engineering ToolBox2001"},{"key":"B14","unstructured":"A way out of the EU gas price crisis with biomethane2023"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"111413","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rser.2021.111413","article-title":"A review of biohydrogen production technology for application towards hydrogen fuel cells","volume":"151","author":"Ferraren-De Cagalitan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.1126\/science.281.5374.237","article-title":"Primary production of the biosphere: Integrating terrestrial and oceanic components","volume":"281","author":"Field","year":"1998","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6448","DOI":"10.1128\/jb.185.21.6448-6455.2003","article-title":"The Gene yjcG, co-transcribed with the gene acs, encodes an acetate permease in Escherichia coli","volume":"185","author":"Gimenez","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Bacteriol."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"365","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpowsour.2017.04.033","article-title":"Allometric scaling of microbial fuel cells and stacks: The lifeform case for scale-up","volume":"356","author":"Greenman","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Power Sources"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10668-022-02506-0","article-title":"Biodiesel production from transesterification of Australian Brassica napus L. Oil: Optimisation and reaction kinetic model development","author":"Hazrat","year":"2022","journal-title":"Environ. Dev. Sustain"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4394","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijhydene.2021.11.091","article-title":"Characteristics of hydrogen production from steam gasification of plant-originated lignocellulosic biomass and its prospects in Vietnam","volume":"47","author":"Hoang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Hydrogen Energy"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1697","DOI":"10.1002\/jctb.5898","article-title":"Microbial electrolysis cell as an emerging versatile technology: A review on its potential application, advance and challenge","volume":"94","author":"Hua","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"208","DOI":"10.1007\/s12010-009-8741-6","article-title":"Hydrogen generation through indirect biophotolysis in batch cultures of the nonheterocystous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum","volume":"162","author":"Huesemann","year":"2010","journal-title":"Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1042\/bj1780097","article-title":"Glucose transport of Escherichia coli growing in glucose-limited continuous culture","volume":"178","author":"Hunter","year":"1979","journal-title":"Biochem. J."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"780","DOI":"10.1038\/137780b0","article-title":"Terminology of relative growth","volume":"137","author":"Huxley","year":"1936","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"B25","volume-title":"Key world energy statistics 2021","year":"2021"},{"key":"B26","volume-title":"Bioenergy for the energy transition: Ensuring sustainability and overcoming barriers","year":"2022"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"501","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rser.2016.04.017","article-title":"Recent advances and emerging challenges in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) for microbial production of hydrogen and value-added chemicals","volume":"61","author":"Kadier","year":"2016","journal-title":"Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev."},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"944","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.iecr.8b03999","article-title":"Techno-economic analysis of microalgae-based lipid production: Considering influences of microalgal species","volume":"58","author":"Kang","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ind. Eng. Chem. Res."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3664","DOI":"10.1016\/j.matpr.2020.05.779","article-title":"Biodiesel from microalgae: Environmental Aspects","volume":"33","author":"Karthikeyan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Mater. Today Proc."},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"315","DOI":"10.3733\/hilg.v06n11p315","article-title":"Body size and metabolism","volume":"6","author":"Kleiber","year":"1932","journal-title":"Hilgardia"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0234077","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0234077","article-title":"Determining incremental coulombic efficiency and physiological parameters of early stage Geobacter spp","volume":"15","author":"Korth","year":"2020","journal-title":"Enrich. Biofilms. PLoS ONE"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psep.2019.05.034","article-title":"Co-Processing of oil palm waste and waste oil via microwave Co-torrefaction: A waste reduction approach for producing solid fuel product with improved properties","volume":"128","author":"Lam","year":"2019","journal-title":"Process. Saf. Environ. Prot."},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.2527\/af.2013-0010","article-title":"From first-to third-generation biofuels: Challenges of producing a commodity from a biomass of increasing complexity","volume":"3","author":"Lee","year":"2013","journal-title":"Anim. Front."},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"628","DOI":"10.1016\/j.proenv.2012.10.086","article-title":"The industrial practice of Co-processing sewage sludge in cement kiln","volume":"16","author":"Li","year":"2012","journal-title":"Sci."},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"88","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wasman.2017.03.035","article-title":"Nutrient contributions and biogas potential of co-digestion of feedstocks and dairy manure","volume":"64","author":"Ma","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Waste Manag."},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"437","DOI":"10.15414\/jmbfs.2018.7.4.437-444","article-title":"Application of microbial fuel cells for bioremediation of environmental pollutants: An overview","volume":"7","author":"Mandal","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. Food Sci."},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.1016\/S1755-0084(08)70063-2","article-title":"Rise of the anaerobic digestor. Renew","volume":"9","author":"Marsh","year":"2008","journal-title":"Energy Focus"},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102","DOI":"10.1016\/j.baae.2022.03.011","article-title":"Disentangling food-web environment relationships: A review with guidelines","volume":"61","author":"Mestre","year":"2022","journal-title":"Basic Appl. Ecol."},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"128642","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chemosphere.2020.128642","article-title":"Effect of nanocatalysts on the transesterification reaction of first, second and third generation biodiesel sources- A mini-review","volume":"270","author":"Mofijur","year":"2021","journal-title":"Chemosphere"},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103221","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jece.2019.103221","article-title":"Flocculation: An effective way to harvest microalgae for biodiesel production","volume":"7","author":"Mubarak","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Environ. Chem. Eng."},{"key":"B41","unstructured":"National renewable energy laboratory"},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1007\/s10311-019-00939-0","article-title":"Biofuel production from microalgae: A review","volume":"18","author":"Peng","year":"2020","journal-title":"Environ. Chem. Lett."},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.3389\/fenrg.2021.749968","article-title":"Strategies to produce cost-effective third-generation biofuel from microalgae","volume":"9","author":"Rafa","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Energy Res."},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-15-0169-2_1","article-title":"Food and high value products from microalgae: Market opportunities and challenges","volume-title":"Microalgae biotechnology for food, health and high value products","author":"Rahman","year":"2020"},{"key":"B45","first-page":"46","article-title":"NASA ask magazine","volume-title":"Explosive lessons in hydrogen safety","author":"Rhodes","year":"2016"},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"450","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tibtech.2008.04.008","article-title":"Towards practical implementation of bioelectrochemical wastewater treatment","volume":"26","author":"Rozendal","year":"2008","journal-title":"Trends Biotechnol."},{"key":"B47","first-page":"141","article-title":"Photofermentative hydrogen production","volume-title":"Biomass, biofuels, biochemicals: Biohydrogen","author":"Sa\u011f\u0131r","year":"2019"},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2016.00531","article-title":"Astaxanthin-producing green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis: From single cell to high value commercial products","volume":"7","author":"Shah","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"122538","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2020.122538","article-title":"Estimation of energy recovery potential of sewage sludge in India: Waste to watt approach","volume":"276","author":"Singh","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7460","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijhydene.2011.03.077","article-title":"An evaluative report and challenges for fermentative biohydrogen production","volume":"36","author":"Sinha","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int. J. Hydrogen Energy"},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"436","DOI":"10.1007\/bf01843462","article-title":"Die Abh\u00e4ngigkeit des Hirngewichts von dem K\u00f6rpergewicht und den geistigen F\u00e4higkeiten","volume":"23","author":"Snell","year":"1892","journal-title":"Arch. Psychiatr."},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1558","DOI":"10.1007\/s42452-020-03362-1","article-title":"Techno-economic analysis of bioethanol production from microwave pretreated kitchen waste","volume":"2","author":"Sondhi","year":"2020","journal-title":"SN Appl. Sci."},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2020.00237","article-title":"Cyanobacteria-based bio-oxygen pump promoting hypoxia-resistant photodynamic therapy","volume":"8","author":"Sun","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol."},{"key":"B54","unstructured":"Hydrogen from renewable power: Technology outlook for the energy transition. IRENA, Policy Paper\n            TaibiE.\n            MirandaR.\n            VanhoudtW.\n            WinkelT.\n            BarthF.\n            LanoixJ. C.\n          2018"},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jiec.2008.08.002","article-title":"Review: A chance for korea to advance algal-biodiesel technology,","volume":"15","author":"Um","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Industrial Eng. Chem."},{"key":"B56","unstructured":"Energy efficiency & renewable energy, alternative fuel price report2022"},{"key":"B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.3389\/fenrg.2018.00107","article-title":"Biological and bioelectrochemical systems for hydrogen production and carbon fixation using purple phototrophic bacteria","volume":"6","author":"Vasiliadou","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front. Energy Res."},{"key":"B58","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4939-7789-5_1051","article-title":"Fuel cells and hydrogen production: Introduction","volume-title":"Fuel cells and hydrogen production","author":"Weber","year":"2019"},{"key":"B59","unstructured":"Global bioenergy statistics2019"},{"key":"B60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"122804","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biortech.2020.122804","article-title":"A comprehensive review on cultivation and harvesting of microalgae for biodiesel production: Environmental pollution control and future directions","volume":"301","author":"Yin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Technol"},{"key":"B61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6762","DOI":"10.1128\/aem.71.11.6762-6768.2005","article-title":"Enhanced hydrogen production from formic acid by formate hydrogen lyase-overexpressing Escherichia coli strains","volume":"71","author":"Yoshida","year":"2005","journal-title":"Appl. Environ. Microbiol."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Energy Research"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fenrg.2023.1108389\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,23]],"date-time":"2023-03-23T14:24:39Z","timestamp":1679581479000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fenrg.2023.1108389\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,22]]},"references-count":61,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fenrg.2023.1108389"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fenrg.2023.1108389","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-598X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-598X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,22]]},"article-number":"1108389"}}