Special Section: “Microbial fuel cells: From fundamentals to applications”: Guest Editors' note

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and bioelectrochemical systems are a unique family of electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy, which is locked in diverse (simple or complex) organic compounds that are used as fuels, directly into electrical energy through chemical, biochemical, physical, and microbiological reactions. Unlike abiotic fuel cells, internal redox reactions involve biological processes that perhaps render these systems competitively advantageous when compared with classical abiotic fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors. MFCs could be integrated with existing wastewater treatment systems for water polishing, water treatment, nutrient recovery, and standalone power supply for electronic devices. The Special Section “Microbial fuel cells: From fundamentals to applications” touches upon many diverse and multidisciplinary aspects of the entire microbial electrochemical field. Top scientists worldwide have contributed to this Special Section showing their latest work that resonates with the recent impressive achievements in the field. The main focus of this section is to offer a better understanding of microbial and abiotic/microbial electron transfer mechanisms at the anode and cathode electrodes and inspire workers toward continuous improvement of performance, organic degradation, and overall system efficiency. This Special Section consists of manuscripts from four different continents and 13 different countries (Australia, China, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The geographical distribution of submissions and the growing number of publications worldwide [1] emphasizes the increased interest in this topic and the advancement from a scientific curiosity to a well developed scientific field.