Bioelectro-Fenton System for Environmental Pollutant Degradation

Energy crisis and water pollution are issues of considerable concerns today. In seeking a balance between protection of environment and conservation of energy, the bioelectrochemical system (BES) has been developed. The BES is a cutting-edge technology for generating bioelectricity from biomass by using bacteria. It is represented by an advanced oxidation process of bioelectro-Fenton (BEF) with interdisciplinary concepts between biology, biophysics, and biochemistry. As reviewed herein, the BEF technology offers an opportunity to solve multiple environment and energy problems. Firstly, the cathodic regeneration of Fe2+ and in situ production of hydrogen peroxide makes it a low-cost and energy-saving process. Secondly, it derives an additional merit of sustainable power generation and valuable substance production. And more importantly, it has been increasingly applied to treat various complicated pollutants including dyes, emerging contaminants of personal care products and endocrine-disrupting compounds, as well as many other wastes from real wastewater and landfill leachate. Despite having considerable advantages, most of BEF experiments were conducted in the laboratory; the development and optimization of a scaling-up and performance-efficient system are needed to be investigated and reported for practical application. A comprehensive control of individual unit for the high performance of whole system and the development of advanced materials for complete mineralization will enable this bioelectrochemical technology a competitive tool in environmental remediation and energy engineering.