4. Outlook

4.1 Putting research into perspective

Microbial fuel cells use bacteria naturally attached to the electrodes as catalysts for electrochemical reactions. At the anode, the bacteria transfer electrons directly to the electrode from the carbon compounds they oxidize (acetate, lactate, sugars, etc.) . Some authors venture to say that these anodophilic bacteria "breathe" the anode, i.e. they are able to connect their respiratory metabolism to a solid electrode. It has been demonstrated that electrocatalytic bacterial consortia can form on graphite anodes immersed in many environments with a rich microbial ecology (marine sediments, compost, water treatment plants, agri-food effluents...). The "bioanodes" obtained are capable of using a wide variety of very low-cost organic...