Urine based bioelectrochemical system: Resources recovery and domestic wastewater treatment prospectives

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) using urine as influent has emerged as a potential alternative source in order to produce energy and extract valuable nutrients. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) and microbial electrolysis cell (MECs) are the two major varieties of BES, which are being employed nowadays. Urine also contains high levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate, which can be collected and deposited in bio-electrochemical systems. Microbes are used in MFCs to facilitate energy production, as they helps in extracting electrons from organic compounds by breaking them down. This review has discussed various developments in BES that use urine. This paper outlines the performance of bio-electrochemical systems, which were operated on raw as well as mixed urine. This review has analyzed various types of microbial populations, which were present in the urine samples, and has also considered different proposals regarding scaling up the urine-based bio-electrochemical systems.