Synchronous removal of gaseous toluene and benzene and degradation process shifts in microbial fuel cell-biotrickling filter system

[Display omitted] •Synchronous removal of gaseous toluene and benzene were achieved by MFC-BTF.•Shifts of mass transfer and microbial community for VOCs removal were revealed.•The removal of benzene was stimulated with the presence of toluene in exhaust.•Various biodegradation pathways for toluene and benzene were proposed. Illustrating the biodegradation processes of multi-component volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will expedite the implication of biotechnology in purifying industrial exhaust. Here, performance shifts of microbial fuel cell and biotrickling filter combined system (MFC-BTF) are investigated for removing single and dual components of toluene and benzene. Synchronous removal of toluene (95 %) and benzene (97 %) are achieved by MFC-BTF accompanied with the output current of 0.41 mA. Elevated content of extracellular polymeric substance facilitates the mass transfer of benzene with the presence of toluene. Strains of Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi contribute to the removal of dual components VOCs. Empty bed reaction time and the VOCs concentration are the important factors influencing their dissolution in the system. The biodegradation of toluene and benzene proceeds with 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde and o-hydroxybenzoic acid as the main intermediates. These results provide a comprehensive understanding of multi-component VOCs removal by MFC-BTF and guide the system design, optimization, and scale-up.