Comprehensive Analysis on Microbial Fuel Cell and Harvesting Techniques

Abstract

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is becoming a prominent technology for continuous production of energy. Distributed
sources can directly produce electricity which are mainly renewable energy microorganisms as biocatalysts to
convert biodegradable substrate into electricity. However, the electrical power produced by the MFC is not
beneficial because of low current and voltage. In addition, output power is also very oscillating depending on the
operating points, which limits the power output. This paper will be a guide to the researchers to have a glimpse
on the type of materials of MFCs. Furthermore, it also gives an overview on the type of balancing circuit and its
working. Energy harvesting is the heart of the entire power conversion system in MFC. Hence, the power
management unit is also discussed in this article. Finally, a review on applications of MFCs are also presented.