Role of bioelectrochemical systems for bioremediation of wastewaters and bioenergy production

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) convert chemical energy into electrical energy using metabolic activities of microorganisms. This technology has gained tremendous interest and it is evolving not only for bioremediation of different wastewaters but also for production of bioenergy. The main aim of this chapter is to introduce the principles of the BESs and discuss the role of BESs in the production of bioenergy and remediation of different pollutants. Here, an effort is made to discuss the various types of BESs and production of bioenergy using these systems. Moreover, bioremediation of different recalcitrant pollutants using BESs is discussed. Furthermore, sustainability of this technology is also elaborated. Also, an attempt is made to discuss the scale up of these technologies from lab scale to field scale. It is observed that it is challenging to implement directly these systems for full-scale applications due to challenges in technical, microbiological, and economic viability. Thus, it is revealed that diverse expertise is required to improve this technology for sustainable and large-scale applications. Finally, brief conclusions are highlighted in the area of BESs for remediation of wastewaters and bioenergy production.