Novel bioelectrochemical factory system for energy production and treatment of industrial wastewater: Electroactive and non-electroactive microbiome

The overarching objective of the MFCBioFactory project is to develop and evaluate a microbial technology for the treatment and generation of electrical energy using wastewater from the canned food industry and to characterize electroactive (EAMs) and non-electrochemically-active (non-EAMs) microorganisms involved in energy production and reduction using metagenomic sequencing and specific marker genes. A novel biofactory system that produces zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, zero energy consumption, and allows the valorisation of the generated waste, known as a microbial fuel cell (MFC) together with a photobioreactor (Microbial Fuel Cell Biofactory, MFCB) will be developed. The metagenomic microorganism characterization will be used to optimize the performance of the electrochemical biofactory system. This project will allow the establishment for the first time of circular economy in the biological treatment of industrial wastewater that is difficult to treat and has a high salinity, thus contributing to the UN Sustainable Development goals, Green Deal (MSCA Green Charter), and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The MFCBioFactory involves a multidisciplinary research team including researchers and industry professionals dedicated to process engineering, bioelectrochemistry, applied microbiology, and chemistry.