Bioelectrochemical Systems: “From Laboratory Scale to Real-World Implementation”

Dear Colleagues,

A wide range of environmentally friendly technologies such as bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) has emerged for different purposes, from bioenergy production to resource recovery. BESs involve the use of biocatalysts (e.g. microorganisms and enzymes) for electron transfer between organic/inorganic substrates and electrodes. According to the desired purpose, BESs can be broadly classified into electrogenesis systems, electrohydrogenesis systems, microbial desalination systems, microbial electrosynthesis systems and bioelectrochemical treatment system. To date, big efforts have been made in terms of new material development, process design and modelling. However, further work is still needed in order to deploy the large-scale application and commercialisation of these technologies.

BESs is a multi-disciplinary technology which has been used in different fields, e.g. microbiology, bieoelctrochemictry, environmental science, etc. Among them, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are representative examples for bioenergy and hydrogen production, respectively, which in addition can utilise substrates of waste nature.

This special issue aims to address the most relevant aspects in the field of BESs for further advancements, from fundamentals to practical applications. Contributions to this issue, both in the form of original research or review articles, may cover all aspects of BES technology: material science, reactor design, modelling, waste treatment capacity, resource recovery, bioenergy generation, chemical production and practical applications are particularly welcome.