Bioremediation meets biosensing: leveraging microbial electrochemical cell-based biosensors

Civic development and industrial expansion have created opportunities but also accelerated environmental degradation. Bioremediation has emerged as a sustainable approach alongside biological and physicochemical methods to mitigate this decline. However, controlling the supply of electron donors and acceptors remains a challenge. Microbial electrochemical cells (MXCs) have emerged as a core component in bioelectronic technologies, utilizing electric current as an electron donor or acceptor. At the core of this technology is an electrogenic biofilm that serves as both the sensing and transducing element. This review examines the synergistic role of MXCs in bioremediation and real-time monitoring, highlighting how these biosensors, powered by microbial communities, uniquely combine pollutant detection with environmental bioremediation. It highlights recent advances, relevant studies, and the potential for advancing sustainable MXC-based approaches to contamination management. Emphasis is placed on the progress in biosensing applications in expanding the horizon for MXCs, particularly microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). Lastly, the review deliberates on the barriers hindering the transition of technology and provides an outlook on future opportunities for MXC biosensors.

Graphical Abstract