304

19 Reaping of Bio-Energy from Waste Using Microbial Fuel Cell Technology

for pervasive uses in location which lacks electrical infrastructures. This review

discusses the notion of MFC, details of microorganisms, electrodes, practical

environmental applications, challenges, and future perspectives of exploration in

detail.

19.1.1

Effects of Industrial Wastes on Environment

Contamination of water:

●Underutilization of solid waste from tanneries can pollute nearby water sources.

●Tannery fleshes are buried into the land, and it contaminates the groundwater

highly due to the presence of calcium salts and sodium sulfide [5].

Contamination of air:

●Burning of cane to speed harvest causes air pollution and increase erosion.

●Bagasse is commonly used as fuel in boilers. It produces fly ash, which escapes

into the atmosphere and can affect the population leading to irritation in eyes,

nose, throat, and lungs. It has also got the potential to damage crops.

Contamination of soil:

●Heavy infield transport machinery is most commonly associated with soil com-

paction problems.

●Soil compaction decreases porosity and water infiltration rate, thereby restricting

the rooting ability of the crop.

●Conventional tillage commonly promotes erosion by exposing soil aggregation to

rainfall and also drastically changes the soil structure.

●Most of the farmers still use the flood irrigation pattern which can cause huge

wastage of water, electricity. It results in salinization of the soil which is another

important cause of lower productivity.

●Untreated tannery solid waste is toxic to the environment and leads to soil con-

tamination [6].

Impact on field level:

●Erosion is a significant issue in areas under sugarcane or beet cultivation. Erosion

rates in tropical agro-ecosystems are usually greater than the rate of soil formation.

●Cane harvesting can cause a significant removal of soil from the roots. Declining

soil quality is associated with cane and beet production, due to soil compaction,

loss of organic matter, salinization, and acidification. About 10–30% of the total

beet harvest weight is soil.

Solid waste management:

●The bagasse when used as fuel in boilers, release particulate matter such as nitro-

gen oxide and sulfur. If pollution control equipment is not installed, fly ash will

escape to the atmosphere and can affect people with a number of health related

problems [7].

19.1.1.1

MFC as Energy Source

Industrial, commercial, and agriculture activities are generating massive volume

of wastewater every year. To treat this wastewater, huge amount of energy is