Bioelectrochemical Systems for Biofuel (Electricity, Hydrogen, and Methane) and Valuable Chemical Production

The production of electricity from microbes was first demonstrated in the early 1900s when scientific enquiries were made about the nature of the electrical effects associated with the decomposition of organic compounds 436due to the influence of microorganisms. This discovery inspired further investigations into the use of electrochemical devices to harvest electrical energy from the microbial decomposition of organic substrates, thus leading to the concept of a bioelectrochemical system. As the search for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels has intensified, this area of research has been generating significant interest in the scientific community. The renewed interest in this research domain is mainly driven by its prospective application for the production of sustainable energy, along with other synergetic benefits, including wastewater treatment and resource recovery. This chapter offers perspective on the production of fuels, electricity, and chemicals using bioelectrochemical systems. As the production of biofuels and valuable chemicals is the main emphasis of this chapter, the following subheadings shed light on the working principles of bioelectrochemical systems, the integration of biorefineries with bioelectrochemical systems for the enhanced production of biofuels and valuable chemicals, state-of-the-art thermodynamic feasibility models and methods for evaluating the economic viability of the integrated systems. The major challenges be setting the commercialization of bioelectrochemical systems and the future direction of the technology are also covered in this chapter. This chapter offers perspective on the production of fuels, electricity, and chemicals using bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). It emphasizes the production of biofuels and valuable chemicals. The chapter focuses on the working principles of BESs, the integration of biorefineries with BESs for the enhanced production of biofuels and valuable chemicals, state-of-the-art thermodynamic feasibility models and methods for evaluating the economic viability of the integrated systems. Depending on the mode of operation of microbial BESs, in terms of the application of a load or an external voltage, they can be grouped into two types, namely microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells. An integrated biorefinery BES offers the advantage of producing clean energy, while also contributing to waste and pollution reduction. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a matured technology used f