Hydrogen Production fromWaste Stream with Microbial Electrolysis Cells

Over the past decade, microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) acts as a promising platform for hydrogen production. One of the main features of MEC is that it uses microorganisms as catalyst to produce economically viable hydrogen. Compared to traditional biological technologies, MECs can overcome thermodynamic limitations and achieve high-yield hydrogen production under relatively mild conditions. A various kind of organic compounds could be converted with low cost and high efficiency. Although many large-scale experiments and coupling processes have been developed to improve hydrogen production capacity, MECs are still far from the extensive commercial application.This chapter provides a systematic review of the up to date developments on the aspects that important for hydrogen production in MECs. It pays special attention on the different cell configurations and MEC designs, the advantages and application of different electrode materials, and the optimization of operation conditions. In addition, as the formation of H2 is completed by a series of microorganisms under the condition of electrochemistry, the electron transfer pathway and the development of microbial community analysis technology are also discussed. It also explores the suitability and the scalability of the coupling of MEC and other systems to improve the hydrogen production performance. At last, this review provides a critical analysis of the current challenges and the future prospects in order to highlight potential application of MEC in the hydrogen production process.