土壤微生物燃料电池对有机物污染降解研究进展

doi:10.3976/j.issn.1002-4026.2025053

摘要/Abstract

摘要：

土壤微生物燃料电池(soil microbial fuel cell,SMFC)是一种制作成本低廉的装置,能够利用阳极微生物将土壤中的有机物化学能转化为电能,同时降解土壤中的有机污染物,在土壤修复与可持续农业方面具有广阔的应用前景。然而,当前SMFC在产电效率和降解效率方面仍有待提升,其在土壤有机污染物修复中的应用还存在诸多空白。为此,本文系统总结了SMFC对土壤中各种有机物污染去除的研究进展,旨在为SMFC产电效率和降解效率的提升及未来研究方向的探索提供参考。首先,详细阐述了SMFC降解土壤有机污染物的原理,分析了顶部式、插入式、U型SMFC的应用情况,并深入探讨了电极材料、土壤介质对SMFC性能的影响及选择依据。其次,分析阳极不同微生物种类的作用及其在SMFC中的分布变化。在此基础上,总结了多种提升SMFC产电效率和降解效率的方法,如优化电极结构、添加电子穿梭体、调控环境条件等。最后,指出未来SMFC的发展方向应聚焦于提高其稳定性和规模化应用能力,探索更高效的电极材料和微生物菌种,以及拓展其在不同土壤类型和污染物种类中的应用范围。

关键词: 土壤微生物燃料电池, 有机物污染, 降解机制, 降解影响因素, 降解效率

Abstract:

Soil microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are low-cost devices capable of converting chemical energy of organic matter into electricity through anodic microorganisms while simultaneously degrading organic pollutants in the soil. Therefore, they have promising applications in soil remediation and sustainable agriculture. However, the existing SMFCs still face limitations in terms of power generation and pollutant degradation efficiency. Moreover, many gaps are observed in their application for soil remediation of organic pollutants. Therefore, this article systematically reviews the research progress of SMFCs for degrading various organic pollutants in the soil, aiming to provide references for enhancing the power generation and degradation efficiency of SMFCs and guiding future research directions. First, the article elucidates the principles of SMFCs in degrading soil organic pollutants, analyzes the application of top-, insertion-, and U-type SMFCs, and deeply discusses the impacts of electrode materials and soil media on the SMFCs performance as well as the criteria for their selection. Second, it analyzes the different microbial species roles in the anode and their distribution changes in SMFCs. Accordingly, this article summarizes various methods to improve the power generation and degradation efficiency of SMFCs, such as optimizing electrode structures, adding electron mediators, and regulating environmental conditions. Future directions for developing SMFCs should focus on enhancing their stability and scalability, exploring highly efficient electrode materials and microbial strains, and expanding their applicability across different soil types and pollutants.

Key words: soil microbial fuel cells, organic pollutants, mechanism of degradation, factors affecting degradation, degradation efficiency

中图分类号:

谷广锋, 刘铭辉, 李凤祥. 土壤微生物燃料电池对有机物污染降解研究进展[J]. 山东科学, 2026, 39(3): 43-53.

GU Guangfeng, LIU Minghui, LI Fengxiang. Research progress of soil microbial fuel cells for degrading organic pollutants[J]. Shandong Science, 2026, 39(3): 43-53.

图/表 3

图1

图2

表1

不同SMFC降解土壤有机污染物总结"

构型	经济及环境影响	阳极	阴极	去除污染物	降解率	开路降解率	参考文献
顶部SMFC	电极成本低, 产电效率低, 降解效率高, 无二次污染	碳布	碳布	阿特拉津	95.0%(60 d)	49.4%	[21]
		碳布	碳布	六氯苯	65.5%(60 d)	35.4%	[21]
		颗粒活性炭/碳毡	空气阴极	磺胺甲噁唑、磺胺嘧啶	95.9%(60 d)	—	[26]
		颗粒活性炭/碳毡	空气阴极	磺胺嘧啶	94.3%(60 d)	—	[26]
		碳纤维毡片	碳纤维毡片	蒽	54.2%(175 d)	20.8%	[22]
		碳纤维毡片	碳纤维毡片	菲	42.6%(175 d)	17.3%
		碳纤维毡片	碳纤维毡片	芘	27.0%(175 d)	11.7%
		石墨	石墨	六氯联苯	39.4%(60 d)	—	[51]
		石磨棒	活性炭空气阴极	石油烃 (含碳纤维)	30.1%(144 d)	13%	[42]
		石磨棒	活性炭空气阴极	石油烃	15.0%(144 d)	7%	[42]
		碳布	碳布	阿特拉津	距离阳极1、3、 4 cm处相应的降解率为1.4、1.3 和1.1 mg/(kg·d)	—	[48]
		石墨毡	石墨毡	石油烃	59.1%、	—	[27]
		石墨毡	石墨毡	蒽	61.7%	—
		石墨毡	石墨毡	芘	55.9%	—
		碳毡包裹不锈钢网	不锈钢网空气阴极	菲(土壤含有缺陷型赤铁矿)	60.7%(42 d)	43.2%	[38]
		碳毡包裹不锈钢网	不锈钢网空气阴极	菲(土壤含有赤铁矿)	51.0%(42 d)	40.5%
		碳毡包裹不锈钢网	不锈钢网空气阴极	菲	40.6%(42 d)	36.9%
多阳极 SMFC	电极成本低, 安装较复杂, 无二次污染	碳网	空气阴极	石油烃(阳极水平排列)	15.3% (135 d)	6.4%	[23]
多阳极 SMFC	电极成本低, 安装较复杂, 无二次污染	碳网	空气阴极	石油烃(阳极垂直排列)	12.5% (135 d)	6.4%	[23]
插入式 SMFC	材料成本低,阴极成本高,体积较小、重量较轻,可以直接插入土壤中进行原位修复,无二次污染	碳毡	Pt/C	苯酚	90.1%(10 d)	27.6%	[7]
		碳布	Pt/C活性碳布电极	石油烃	距阳极<1 cm 处73.1%, 5 cm 处51.5%(64 d)	始终比对照反应器高 31%~37%	[25]
		生物炭	Pt/C活性碳布电极	石油烃	距阳极<1 cm 5 cm 处56.8%(64 d)	始终比对照反应器高 31%~37%	[25]
U型 SMFC	成本较低,装置的构建和填充过程步骤较多,安装具有难度,内阻较低,有电力回收优势	碳网	Pt/C碳网电极	石油烃(土壤含水量33%)	距阳极<1 cm 处,15.2%	距阳极<1 cm 处,6.9%	[24]
太阳能 -SMFC	成本较低,太阳能的利用减少了额外能源成本的投入,无化学品使用和二次污染问题	碳毡	碳毡	苯酚 (80 μg/L)	90%(5 d), 98.5%(11 d)	48.9%	[50]
太阳能 -SMFC	成本较低,太阳能的利用减少了额外能源成本的投入,无化学品使用和二次污染问题	碳毡	碳毡	苯酚 (320 μg/L)	90%(19 d)	—	[50]

表1

参考文献 51

[1]	刘爱宝, 曹惠忠, 朱辉, 等. 土壤有机物污染的化学修复技术研究[J]. 广东化工, 2019, 46(2):145-146.
[2]	SONG P P, XU D, YUE J Y, et al. Recent advances in soil remediation technology for heavy metal contaminated sites: A critical review[J]. Science of The Total Environment, 2022, 838: 156417. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156417.
[3]	RAJENDRAN S, PRIYA T A K, KHOO K S, et al. A critical review on various remediation approaches for heavy metal contaminants removal from contaminated soils[J]. Chemosphere, 2022, 287: 132369. DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132369.
[4]	ABBAS S Z, RAFATULLAH M, ISMAIL N, et al. Enhanced bioremediation of toxic metals and harvesting electricity through sediment microbial fuel cell[J]. International Journal of Energy Research, 2017, 41(14): 2345-2355. DOI: 10.1002/er.3804.
[5]	NGUYEN H U D, NGUYEN D T, TAGUCHI K. A novel design portable plugged-type soil microbial fuel cell for bioelectricity generation[J]. Energies, 2021, 14(3): 553. DOI: 10.3390/en14030553.
[6]	WANG H M, LUO H P, FALLGREN P H, et al. Bioelectrochemical system platform for sustainable environmental remediation and energy generation[J]. Biotechnology Advances, 2015, 33(3/4): 317-334. DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.04.003.
[7]	HUANG D Y, ZHOU S G, CHEN Q, et al. Enhanced anaerobic degradation of organic pollutants in a soil microbial fuel cell[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2011, 172(2/3): 647-653. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2011.06.024.
[8]	HU Z Z, HE Q Q, ZHAO H J, et al. Organic carbon compounds removal and phosphate immobilization for internal pollution control: Sediment microbial fuel cells, a prospect technology[J]. Environmental Pollution, 2024, 363: 125110. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125110.
[9]	HAMDAN H Z, SALAM D A. Sediment microbial fuel cells for bioremediation of pollutants and power generation: A review[J]. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2023, 21(5): 2761-2787. DOI: 10.1007/s10311-023-01625-y.
[10]	ZHAO J T, LI F, CAO Y X, et al. Microbial extracellular electron transfer and strategies for engineering electroactive microorganisms[J]. Biotechnology Advances, 2021, 53: 107682. DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107682.
[11]	张志颖, 程鹏, 杨聪, 等. 微生物燃料电池处理抗生素的研究进展[J]. 新能源进展, 2023, 11(2):139-146.
[12]	陈媛媛, 张保财, 吴德光, 等. 产电微生物的筛选方法研究进展[J]. 生物工程学报, 2020, 36(12): 2719-2731. DOI: 10.13345/j.cjb.200176.
[13]	AARAB N, GODAL B F, BECHMANN R K. Seasonal variation of histopathological and histochemical markers of PAH exposure in blue mussel (Mytilus edulis L.)[J]. Marine Environmental Research, 2011, 71(3): 213-217. DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2011.01.005.
[14]	TAN Y, ADHIKARI R Y, MALVANKAR N S, et al. Expressing the Geobacter metallireducens PilA in Geobacter sulfurreducens yields pili with exceptional conductivity[J]. mBio, 2017, 8(1): e02203-16. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.02203-16.
[15]	LIU X B, SHI L, GU J D. Microbial electrocatalysis: Redox mediators responsible for extracellular electron transfer[J]. Biotechnology Advances, 2018, 36(7): 1815-1827. DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.07.001. pmid: 30196813
[16]	蔡映芸, 章文贤, 蒋咏梅. 微生物燃料电池阳极材料对微生物胞外电子传递效率的影响[J]. 电子质量, 2020(1): 52-58.
[17]	WU Y C, JING X X, GAO C H, et al. Recent advances in microbial electrochemical system for soil bioremediation[J]. Chemosphere, 2018, 211: 156-163. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.07.089. pmid: 30071427
[18]	WANG H, SONG H L, YU R, et al. New process for copper migration by bioelectricity generation in soil microbial fuel cells[J]. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2016, 23(13): 13147-13154. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-6477-8.
[19]	HABIBUL N, HU Y, SHENG G P. Microbial fuel cell driving electrokinetic remediation of toxic metal contaminated soils[J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2016, 318: 9-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.06.041. pmid: 27388419
[20]	ÇEK N, ERENSOY A, AK N, et al. High-efficiency, environment-friendly moss-enriched microbial fuel cell[J]. International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering, 2022, 20(11): 1131-1140. DOI: 10.1515/ijcre-2021-0149.
[21]	WANG H, CAO X, LI L, et al. Augmenting atrazine and hexachlorobenzene degradation under different soil redox conditions in a bioelectrochemistry system and an analysis of the relevant microorganisms[J]. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2018, 147: 735-741. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.09.033. pmid: 28942276
[22]	YU B, TIAN J, FENG L. Remediation of PAH polluted soils using a soilmicrobial fuel cell: Influence of electrode interval and role of microbial community[J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2017, 336: 110-118. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.04.066.
[23]	ZHANG Y Y, WANG X, LI X J, et al. Horizontal arrangement of anodes of microbial fuel cells enhances remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil[J]. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2015, 22(3): 2335-2341. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3539-7.
[24]	WANG X, CAI Z, ZHOU Q X, et al. Bioelectrochemical stimulation of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation in saline soil using U-tube microbial fuel cells[J]. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2012, 109(2): 426-433. DOI: 10.1002/bit.23351. pmid: 22006588
[25]	LU L, HUGGINS T, JIN S, et al. Microbial metabolism and community structure in response to bioelectrochemically enhanced remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil[J]. Environmental Science & Technology, 2014, 48(7): 4021-4029. DOI: 10.1021/es4057906.
[26]	SONG H L, ZHANG C, LU Y X, et al. Enhanced removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in a soil microbial fuel cell via in situ remediation of agricultural soils with multiple antibiotics[J]. Science of The Total Environment, 2022, 829: 154406. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154406.
[27]	YU B, FENG L, HE Y L, et al. Effects of anode materials on the performance and anode microbial community of soil microbial fuel cell[J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2021, 401: 123394. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123394.
[28]	刘远峰, 张秀玲, 张其春, 等. 微生物燃料电池中阳极产电菌的研究进展[J]. 精细化工, 2020, 37(9): 1729-1737. DOI: 10.13550/j.jxhg.20200001.
[29]	WU P, FU Y D, VANCOV T, et al. Analyzing the trends and hotspots of biochar’s applications in agriculture, environment, and energy: A bibliometrics study for 2022 and 2023[J]. Biochar, 2024, 6(1): 78. DOI: 10.1007/s42773-024-00370-x.
[30]	CHEN Y N, ZHAO F, PU Y, et al. Nano-Fe₃O₄ coated on carbon monolith for anode enhancement in microbial fuel cells[J]. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2023, 11(2): 109608. DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2023.109608.
[31]	SONU K, SOGANI M, SYED Z, et al. Performance evaluation of Tagetes erecta plant microbial fuel cell using the composite ceramic anode of rice-husk, mild-steel dust, and soil[J]. Fuel Cells, 2022, 22(5): 197-204. DOI: 10.1002/fuce.202200074.
[32]	HIROSE S, NGUYEN D T, TAGUCHI K. Development of low-cost block-shape anodes for practical soil microbial fuel cells[J]. Energy Reports, 2023, 9: 144-150. DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2022.12.122.
[33]	YUAN Y, ZHOU S G, LIU Y, et al. Nanostructured macroporous bioanode based on polyaniline-modified natural loofah sponge for high-performance microbial fuel cells[J]. Environmental Science & Technology, 2013, 47(24): 14525-14532. DOI: 10.1021/es404163g.
[34]	YUAN Y, ZHOU S G, ZHUANG L. A new approach to in situ sediment remediation based on air-cathode microbial fuel cells[J]. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 2010, 10(7): 1427-1433. DOI: 10.1007/s11368-010-0276-5.
[35]	ZHENG L L, CAI X X, TANG J H, et al. Bioelectrochemical technologies for soil and sediment remediation: Recent advances and future perspectives[J]. Journal of Environmental Management, 2024, 370: 122602. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122602.
[36]	GOTO Y, YOSHIDA N, UMEYAMA Y, et al. Enhancement of electricity production by graphene oxide in soil microbial fuel cells and plant microbial fuel cells[J]. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2015, 3: 42. DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2015.00042. pmid: 25883931
[37]	FANG S, XIA Y, LV K L, et al. Effect of carbon-dots modification on the structure and photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄[J]. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2016, 185: 225-232. DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2015.12.025.
[38]	JIANG X Y, GAO X T, YANG K, et al. Promotion and mechanism of defective hematite on the power generation and phenanthrene degradation of soil microbial fuel cells[J]. Environmental Engineering Research, 2025, 30(1): 240135. DOI: 10.4491/eer.2024.135.
[39]	WANG H M, LIU J D, GUI C, et al. Synergistic remediation of Cr(VI) contaminated soil by iron-loaded activated carbon in two-chamber microbial fuel cells[J]. Environmental Research, 2022, 208: 112707. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112707.
[40]	CAO M R, YIN J J, SONG T S, et al. Effects of the presence of phosphate buffer solution on removal efficiency of Pb and Zn in soil by solid phase microbial fuel cells[J]. Biotechnology Letters, 2022, 44(12): 1495-1505. DOI: 10.1007/s10529-022-03315-1. pmid: 36269494
[41]	KONDAVEETI S, MOHANAKRISHNA G, PAGOLU R, et al. Bioelectrogenesis from raw algal biomass through microbial fuel cells: Effect of acetate as co-substrate[J]. Indian Journal of Microbiology, 2019, 59(1): 22-26. DOI: 10.1007/s12088-018-0769-2. pmid: 30728627
[42]	LI X J, WANG X, ZHAO Q, et al. Carbon fiber enhanced bioelectricity generation in soil microbial fuel cells[J]. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2016, 85: 135-141. DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2016.05.001.
[43]	YUE Z H, YUAN K, SEKI M, et al. Comparative analysis of Japanese soils: Exploring power generation capability in relation to bacterial communities[J]. Sustainability, 2024, 16(11): 4625. DOI: 10.3390/su16114625.
[44]	KUO J, LIU D, LIN C H. Functional prediction of microbial communities in sediment microbial fuel cells[J]. Bioengineering, 2023, 10(2): 199. DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10020199.
[45]	LIU D, KUO J, WANG S H, et al. Comparative microbial communities of anode associated soils in sediment microbial fuel cellsof rice field and drainage ditch soils[J]. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 2022, 31(1): 179-188. DOI: 10.15244/pjoes/139109.
[46]	KUO J, LIU D, WANG S H, et al. Dynamic changes in soil microbial communities with glucose enrichment in sediment microbial fuel cells[J]. Indian Journal of Microbiology, 2021, 61(4): 497-505. DOI: 10.1007/s12088-021-00959-x. pmid: 34744205
[47]	BARBATO R A, FOLEY K L, TORO-ZAPATA J A, et al. The power of soilmicrobes: Sustained power production in terrestrial microbial fuel cells under various temperature regimes[J]. Applied Soil Ecology, 2017, 109: 14-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2016.10.001.
[48]	WANG H, LI L, CAO X, et al. Enhanced degradation of atrazine by soil microbial fuel cells and analysis of bacterial community structure[J]. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2017, 228(8): 308. DOI: 10.1007/s11270-017-3495-1.
[49]	LIU Z D, WANG J, ZHANG T P, et al. The effects of microbial fuel cells coupled with solar cells under intermittent illumination on sediment remediation[J]. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 2019, 21(12): 2141-2149. DOI: 10.1039/C9EM00380K.
[50]	XIE W Q, REN G P, ZHOU J Q, et al. In situ degradation of organic pollutants by novel solar cell equipped soil microbial fuel cell[J]. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2023, 30(11): 30210-30220. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24356-z.
[51]	BORELLO D, GAGLIARDI G, AIMOLA G, et al. Use of microbial fuel cells for soil remediation: A preliminary study on DDE[J]. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2021, 46(16): 10131-10142. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.07.