Bioelectrochemical Systems for Fuel Production: A Techno-Economic Analysis

A bioelectrochemical system (BES) can produce energy in the form of electricity in microbial fuel cells or hydrogen in microbial electrolysis cells while treating wastewater or sequester carbon by reducing CO2 to long-chain organic products of high calorific or market value via a microbial electrosynthesis pathway. Augmenting the circular bioeconomy (CBE) models with BES can aid in bridging the gap between reality and the concepts. This chapter discusses the different variants of BESs and their constraints for understanding the feasibility of incorporating BES in the future CBE models. Suggestive measures such as minimized primary material consumption, utilization of waste-based materials for electrode and proton-exchange membrane synthesis, CO2 emission reduction, regeneration of spent electrodes and membranes, and bioelectrochemical mining of metals from waste stream for on-site reutilization and recovery have been discussed. A detailed scope for the future is also outlined for designing BES variants to fit in the futuristic circular bioeconomy models.