Enhancing diversified extracellular electron transfer (EET) processes through N-MXene-modified non-adhesive hydrogel bioanodes.

The focus of this study is to develop a high-performance anode material for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). PEDOT:PSS and nitrogen-modified MXene were combined to create a hydrogel composite material called PPNM, which was drop-cast onto carbon felt (CF) as the MFCs anode. The PPNM exhibited a higher peak power density of 4.78 W m-2, an increase of 332% compared to the CF anode. It is worth noting that the PPNM Hydrogel maintains its rough and porous structure, providing favorable sites for bacterial colonization. The introduction of N-MXene has improved the electrochemical performance of the hydrogel, particularly impacting the mediated electron transfer process. Microbial community analysis revealed the presence of more electrochemically active species on the PPNM anode. These findings highlight the potential of PPNM hydrogel and pave the way for similar strategies in achieving high-performance anodes in MFCs.

Electricity generation and real oily wastewater treatment by Pseudomonas citronellolis 620C in a microbial fuel cell: pyocyanin production as electron shuttle.

In the present study, the potential of Pseudomonas citronellolis 620C strain was evaluated, for the first time, to generate electricity in a standard, double chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC), with oily wastewater (OW) being the fuel at 43.625 mg/L initial chemical oxygen demand (COD). Both electrochemical and physicochemical results suggested that this P. citronellolis strain utilized efficiently the OW substrate and generated electricity in the MFC setup reaching 0.05 mW/m2 maximum power. COD removal was remarkable reaching 83.6 ± 0.1%, while qualitative and quantitative gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the OW total petroleum and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and fatty acids revealed high degradation capacity. It was also determined that P. citronellolis 620C produced pyocyanin as electron shuttle in the anodic MFC chamber. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study showing (phenazine-based) pyocyanin production from a species other than P. aeruginosa and, also, the first time that P. citronellolis 620C has been shown to produce electricity in a MFC. The production of pyocyanin, in combination with the formation of biofilm in the MFC anode, as observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, makes this P. citronellolis strain an attractive and promising candidate for wider MFC applications.

Batch and semi-continuous treatment of cassava wastewater using microbial fuel cells and metataxonomic analysis.

The treatment of agroindustrial wastewater using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is a technological strategy to harness its chemical energy while simultaneously purifying the water. This manuscript investigates the organic load effect as chemical oxygen demand (COD) on the production of electricity during the treatment of cassava wastewater by means of a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell in batch mode. Additionally, specific conditions were selected to evaluate the semi-continuous operational mode. The dynamics of microbial communities on the graphite anode were also investigated. The maximum power density delivered by the batch MFC (656.4 µW m - 2 ) was achieved at the highest evaluated organic load (6.8 g COD L - 1 ). Similarly, the largest COD removal efficiency (61.9%) was reached at the lowest organic load (1.17 g COD L - 1 ). Cyanide degradation percentages (50-70%) were achieved across treatments. The semi-continuous operation of the MFC for 2 months revealed that the voltage across the cell is dependent on the supply or suspension of the organic load feed. The electrode polarization resistance was observed to decreases over time, possibly due to the enrichment of the anode with electrogenic microbial communities. A metataxonomic analysis revealed a significant increase in bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes, primarily of the genus Enterococcus.

Reduction of Toxic Metal Ions and Production of Bioelectricity through Microbial Fuel Cells Using Bacillus marisflavi as a Biocatalyst.

Industrialization has brought many environmental problems since its expansion, including heavy metal contamination in water used for agricultural irrigation. This research uses microbial fuel cell technology to generate bioelectricity and remove arsenic, copper, and iron, using contaminated agricultural water as a substrate and Bacillus marisflavi as a biocatalyst. The results obtained for electrical potential and current were 0.798 V and 3.519 mA, respectively, on the sixth day of operation and the pH value was 6.54 with an EC equal to 198.72 mS/cm, with a removal of 99.08, 56.08, and 91.39% of the concentrations of As, Cu, and Fe, respectively, obtained in 72 h. Likewise, total nitrogen concentrations, organic carbon, loss on ignition, dissolved organic carbon, and chemical oxygen demand were reduced by 69.047, 86.922, 85.378, 88.458, and 90.771%, respectively. At the same time, the PDMAX shown was 376.20 ± 15.478 mW/cm2, with a calculated internal resistance of 42.550 ± 12.353 Ω. This technique presents an essential advance in overcoming existing technical barriers because the engineered microbial fuel cells are accessible and scalable. It will generate important value by naturally reducing toxic metals and electrical energy, producing electric currents in a sustainable and affordable way.

High-Performance Macroporous Free-Standing Microbial Fuel Cell Anode Derived from Grape for Efficient Power Generation and Brewery Wastewater Treatment.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the potential to directly convert the chemical energy in organic matter into electrical energy, making them a promising technology for achieving sustainable energy production alongside wastewater treatment. However, the low extracellular electron transfer (EET) rates and limited bacteria loading capacity of MFCs anode materials present challenges in achieving high power output. In this study, three-dimensionally heteroatom-doped carbonized grape (CG) monoliths with a macroporous structure were successfully fabricated using a facile and low-cost route and employed as independent anodes in MFCs for treating brewery wastewater. The CG obtained at 900 °C (CG-900) exhibited excellent biocompatibility. When integrated into MFCs, these units initiated electricity generation a mere 1.8 days after inoculation and swiftly reached a peak output voltage of 658 mV, demonstrating an exceptional areal power density of 3.71 W m-2. The porous structure of the CG-900 anode facilitated efficient ion transport and microbial community succession, ensuring sustained operational excellence. Remarkably, even when nutrition was interrupted for 30 days, the voltage swiftly returned to its original level. Moreover, the CG-900 anode exhibited a superior capacity for accommodating electricigens, boasting a notably higher abundance of Geobacter spp. (87.1%) compared to carbon cloth (CC, 63.0%). Most notably, when treating brewery wastewater, the CG-900 anode achieved a maximum power density of 3.52 W m-2, accompanied by remarkable treatment efficiency, with a COD removal rate of 85.5%. This study provides a facile and low-cost synthesis technique for fabricating high-performance MFC anodes for use in microbial energy harvesting.

Investigating Variability in Microbial Fuel Cells.

In scientific studies, replicas should replicate, and identical conditions should produce very similar results which enable parameters to be tested. However, in microbial experiments which use real world mixed inocula to generate a new "adapted" community, this replication is very hard to achieve. The diversity within real-world microbial systems is huge, and when a subsample of this diversity is placed into a reactor vessel or onto a surface to create a biofilm, stochastic processes occur, meaning there is heterogeneity within these new communities. The smaller the subsample, the greater this heterogeneity is likely to be. Microbial fuel cells are typically operated at a very small laboratory scale and rely on specific communities which must include electrogenic bacteria, known to be of low abundance in most natural inocula. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer a unique opportunity to investigate and quantify variability as they produce current when they metabolize, which can be measured in real time as the community develops. In this research, we built and tested 28 replica MFCs and ran them under identical conditions. The results showed high variability in terms of the rate and amount of current production. This variability perpetuated into subsequent feeding rounds, both with and without the presence of new inoculate. In an attempt to control this variability, reactors were reseeded using established "good" and "bad" reactors. However, this did not result in replica biofilms, suggesting there is a spatial as well as a compositional control over biofilm formation. IMPORTANCE The research presented, although carried out in the area of microbial fuel cells, reaches an important and broadly impacting conclusion that when using mixed inoculate in replica reactors under replicated conditions, different communities emerge capable of different levels of metabolism. To date there has been very little research focusing on this, or even reporting it, with most studies using duplicate or triplicate reactors, in which this phenomenon is not fully observed. Publishing data in which replicas do not replicate will be an important and brave first step in the research into understanding this fundamental microbial process.

Functional Nanomaterial-Modified Anodes in Microbial Fuel Cells: Advances and Perspectives.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising approach that could utilize microorganisms to oxidize biodegradable pollutants in wastewater and generate electrical power simultaneously. Introducing advanced anode nanomaterials is generally considered as an effective way to enhance MFC performance by increasing bacterial adhesion and facilitating extracellular electron transfer (EET). This review focuses on the key advances of recent anode modification materials, as well as the current understanding of the microbial EET process occurring at the bacteria-electrode interface. Based on the difference in combination mode of the exoelectrogens and nanomaterials, anode surface modification, hybrid biofilm construction and single-bacterial surface modification strategies are elucidated exhaustively. The inherent mechanisms may help to break through the performance output bottleneck of MFCs by rational design of EET-related nanomaterials, and lead to the widespread application of microbial electrochemical systems.

Simultaneous dairy wastewater treatment and bioelectricity production in a new microbial fuel cell using photosynthetic Synechococcus.

Photosynthetic microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a novel technology, which employs organic pollutants and organisms to produce electrons and biomass and capture CO2 by bio-reactions. In this study, a new PMFC was developed based on Synechococcus sp. as a biocathode, and dairy wastewater was used in the anode chamber. Different experiments including batch feed mode, semi-continuous feed mode, Synechococcus feedstock to the anode chamber, Synechococcus-Chlorella mixed system, the feedstock of treated wastewater to the cathode chamber, and use of extra nutrients in the anodic chamber were performed to investigate the behavior of the PMFC system. The results indicated that the PMFC with a semi-continuous feed mode is more effective than a batch mode for electricity generation and pollutant removal. Herein, maximum power density, chemical oxygen demand removal, and Coulombic efficiency were 6.95 mW/m2 (450 Ω internal resistance), 62.94, and 43.16%, respectively, through mixing Synechococcus sp. and Chlorella algae in the batch-fed mode. The maximum nitrate and orthophosphate removal rates were 98.83 and 68.5%, respectively, wherein treated wastewater in the anode was added to the cathode. No significant difference in Synechococcus growth rate was found between the cathodic chamber of PMFC and the control cultivation cell. The heating value of the biocathode biomass at maximum Synechococcus growth rate (adding glucose into the anode chamber) was 0.2235 MJ/Kg, indicating the cell's high ability for carbon dioxide recovery. This study investigated not only simultaneous bioelectricity production and dairy wastewater in a new PMFC using Synechococcus sp. but also studied several operational parameters and presented useful information about their effect on PMFC performance.

Analysis and enhancement of the energy utilization efficiency of corn stover using strain Lsc-8 in a bioelectrochemical system.

The strain Lsc-8 can produce a current density of 33.08 µA cm-2 using carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a carbon source in a three-electrode configuration. A co-culture system of strain Lsc-8 and Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA was used to efficiently convert cellulose into electricity to improve the electricity generation capability of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The maximum current density achieved by the co-culture with CMC was 559 µA cm-2, which was much higher than that of strain Lsc-8 using CMC as the carbon source. The maximum power density reached 492.05 ± 52.63 mW cm-2, which is much higher than that previously reported. Interaction mechanism studies showed that strain Lsc-8 had the ability to secrete riboflavin and convert cellulose into acetic acid, which might be the reason for the high electrical production performance of the co-culture system. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, a co-culture or single bacteria system using agricultural straw as the carbon source to generate electricity has not been reported. In this study, the maximum current density of the three-electrode system inoculated with strain Lsc-8 was 14.56 µA cm-2 with raw corn stover as the sole carbon source. Raw corn stover as a carbon source was also investigated for use in a co-culture system. The maximum current density achieved by the co-culture was 592 µA cm-2. The co-culture system showed a similar electricity generation capability when using raw corn stover and when using CMC. This research shows for the first time that a co-culture or single bacteria system can realize both waste biomass treatment and waste power generation.

Shewanella chilikensis MG22 isolated from tannery site for malachite green decolorization in microbial fuel cell: a proposed solution for recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).

Malachite Green (MG) dye of the triphenylmethane group is a toxic compound used in the aquaculture industry as an antifungal agent, however, it can accumulate in fish and pose toxicity. The present work aims to remove MG in Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) as a sustainable and eco-friendly solution. Out of six samples, the highest malachite green degradation was obtained by a sample obtained from Robiki tannery site in agar plates in 24 h at 37 °C. Robiki sample was used to inoculate the anodic chamber in Microbial Fuel cell, the resulting average electricity production was 195.76 mV for two weeks. The decolorization average was almost 88%. The predominant bacteria responsible for MG decolorization and electricity production were identified using 16S rRNA as Shewanella chilikensis strain MG22 (Accession no. OP795826) and formed a heavy biofilm on the anode. At the end of the decolorization process, MG was added again for re-use of water. The results showed efficiency for re-use 3 times. To ensure the sterility of treated water for re-use, both UV and filter sterilization were used, the latter proved more efficient. The obtained results are promising, MFC can be used as recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The same aquaculture water can be treated multiple times which provides a sustainable solution for water conservation.

Prophage Induction Causes Geobacter Electroactive Biofilm Decay.

Sustaining a metabolically active electroactive biofilm (EAB) is essential for the high efficiency and durable operation of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, EABs usually decay during long-term operation, and, until now, the causes remain unknown. Here, we report that lysogenic phages can cause EAB decay in Geobacter sulfurreducens fuel cells. A cross-streak agar assay and bioinformatic analysis revealed the presence of prophages on the G. sulfurreducens genome, and a mitomycin C induction assay revealed the lysogenic to lytic transition of those prophages, resulting in a progressive decay in both current generation and the EAB. Furthermore, the addition of phages purified from decayed EAB resulted in accelerated decay of the EAB, thereafter contributing to a faster decline in current generation; otherwise, deleting prophage-related genes rescued the decay process. Our study provides the first evidence of an interaction between phages and electroactive bacteria and suggests that attack by phages is a primary cause of EAB decay, having significant implications in bioelectrochemical systems.

Synergistic interactions of microbial fuel cell and microbially induced carbonate precipitation technology with molasses as the substrate.

The application of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology is critical, but many challenges remain. In this paper, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) is used to treat molasses wastewater, and the effluent is used as the substrate to promote the growth of urease-producing bacteria. The results showed that the maximum voltage of MFC was 500 mV, and the maximum power density was 169.86 mW/m2. The mineralization rate reached 100% on the 15th day, and the mineralized product was calcite CaCO3. According to the microbial community analysis, the unclassified_Comamondaceae, Arcobacter, and Aeromonas, which could improve the OH-, signal molecular transmission and small molecular nutrients to promote the urease activity of urease-producing bacteria. The above conclusions provide a new way to reuse molasses wastewater efficiently and to apply MICP technology in dust suppression.

Analysis of pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone as an anti-biofouling cathodic agent in microbial fuel cell.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have gained attention due to their applications in the energy and environmental sectors. However, several challenges must be addressed in order to operate MFCs in the real world. Cathode biofouling, which poses mass transfer limitations, is a major factor behind poor performance of MFCs. In this study, a water-insoluble pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (PCT) was synthesized and its efficiency as anti-biofouling agent in the cathode of a multi-criteria MFC (MCMFC) was tested. For the application of PCT, graphite dust and MnO2 nanotubes (NTs) were used as conducting support and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. When the concentration of PCT on the cathode was increased, an increase in the power generation was observed. The PCT loading of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/cm2 on graphite-MnO2-NTs cathode, resulted in maximum power density of 356.8, 390.93, 418.77, and 434.2 mW/m2, respectively. Half-cell polarization and electrochemical impedance study revealed that the mechanically mixed PCT-MnO2-NTs/graphite dust composite has a higher ORR activity than MnO2-NTs/graphite dust composite, implying that the dispersion of PCT on the cathode surface improves its catalytic activity, possibly due to the antibacterial activity of PCT. PCT played an important role in improved energy recovery and could be applied as an efficient antifouling agent and cathode catalyst for the MFC. KEY POINTS: • Water-insoluble pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (PCT) was synthesized. • A multi-criteria microbial fuel cell (MCMFC) was designed. • PCT was used as an oxygen reduction reaction catalyst in MCMFC.

Improved electrochemical properties of graphite electrodes incubated with iron powders in rice-paddy fields boost power outputs from microbial fuel cells.

Studies have shown that the supplementation of anode-surrounding soil with zero-valent iron (ZVI) boosts power outputs from rice paddy-field microbial fuel cells (RP-MFCs). In order to understand mechanisms by which ZVI boosts outputs from RP-MFCs, the present study operated RP-MFCs with and without ZVI, and compositions of anode-associated bacteria and electrochemical properties of graphite anodes were analyzed after 3-month operation. Metabarcoding using 16S rRNA gene fragments showed that bacterial compositions did not largely differ among these RP-MFCs. Cyclic voltammetry showed improved electrochemical properties of anodes recovered from ZVI-supplemented RP-MFCs, and this was attributed to the adhesion of iron-oxide films onto graphite surfaces. Bioelectrochemical devices equipped with graphite anodes recovered from ZVI-supplemented RP-MFCs generated higher currents than those with fresh graphite anodes. These results suggest that ZVI is oxidized to iron oxides in paddy-field soil and adheres onto graphite anodes, resulting in the boost of power outputs from RP-MFCs.

Response of Microbial Communities on Cathode with Different Potentials in a Single-Chamber Reactor.

Microbes use both organic and inorganic compounds as electron donors, with different electronic potentials, to produce energy required for growth in environments. Conventional studies on the effects of different electron donors on microbial community has been extensively studied with a set cathode potential. However, it remains under-researched how a microbial community response to the different redox potentials in different environments. Here, we incubated a lake sediment in a single-chamber reactor equipped with three working electrodes, i.e., with potentials of - 0.29 V, - 0.05 V versus standard hydrogen electrode and open-circuit, respectively. Results reveal that the structure of bacterial communities was highly similar for all closed-circuit electrodes (- 0.29 V, - 0.05 V), while differing significantly from those on open-circuit electrodes. We also show that specific bacteria were preferentially enriched by different electrode potentials, i.e., Pseudomonas and Rhodobacter preferentially grew on - 0.05 V and - 0.29 V cathode potentials, Azospirillum and Bosea preferentially grew on - 0.05 V; while Ferrovibrio, Hydrogenophaga, Delftia, and Sphingobium preferentially grew on - 0.29 V. In addition, microorganisms selectively enriched on open-circuit electrodes possess higher connectivity and closer relationship than microorganisms selectively enriched on closed-circuit electrode.

Bioelectricity Production from Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) Using Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus Strain nbpp1 as a Biocatalyst.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) function by using microorganisms to decompose the substrate at the anode, producing electrons and protons. These charges are then transported to the cathode, where electricity is generated. Previous studies have shown their promising probabilities for practical applications. MFCs are praised for their ability to address energy shortages and environmental pollution simultaneously. They have the potential to generate electricity directly from organic substances, reducing energy losses that occur during intermediate conversion steps. The main challenge lies in transitioning these technologies from the laboratory setting to practical systems that can be implemented on a large scale for bioenergy production along with various engineering hurdles. This study focused on investigating the power production potential of a soil-isolated bacterial strain taxonomically classified as Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus nbpp1, which is a relatively new addition to the extensive range of biocatalysts known for their ability to generate electricity. The study analyzed the electrochemical performance of an H-type MFC setup. LB broth was used as the substrate, while aluminum and graphite served as electrode materials. Other parameters, such as Coulombic efficiency, internal resistance, and electrode corrosion rate, were also measured. The MFC produced a high open circuit voltage of 1127 mV and achieved a maximum power density of 6.71 mW/cm2 at a current density of 11.14 mA/cm2. The MFC setup successfully powered LED lamps when connected in a joint circuit, showcasing its potential for practical applications. These findings suggest the promising high electrochemical performance of the MFC system in terms of electricity generation using the specified conditions.

Comparative Studies on Electrodes for Rumen Bacteria Microbial Fuel Cells.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using rumen bacteria have been proposed as a power source for running devices inside cattle. In this study, we explored the key parameters of the conventional bamboo charcoal electrode in an attempt to improve the amount of electrical power generated by the microbial fuel cell. We evaluated the effects of the electrode's surface area, thickness, and rumen content on power generation and determined that only the electrode's surface area affects power generation levels. Furthermore, our observations and bacterial count on the electrode revealed that rumen bacteria concentrated on the surface of the bamboo charcoal electrode and did not penetrate the interior, explaining why only the electrode's surface area affected power generation levels. A Copper (Cu) plate and Cu paper electrodes were also used to evaluate the effect of different electrodes on measuring the rumen bacteria MFC's power potential, which had a temporarily higher maximum power point (MPP) compared to the bamboo charcoal electrode. However, the open circuit voltage and MPP decreased significantly over time due to the corrosion of the Cu electrodes. The MPP for the Cu plate electrode was 775 mW/m2 and the MPP for the Cu paper electrode was 1240 mW/m2, while the MPP for bamboo charcoal electrodes was only 18.7 mW/m2. In the future, rumen bacteria MFCs are expected to be used as the power supply of rumen sensors.

Solid slow-release carbon source assembled microbial fuel cell for promoting superior nitrogen removal in an aerobic granular sludge bioreactor.

Although the coupling process of microbial fuel cell (MFC) and activated sludge is widely used for organic matter removal and electric energy recovery, the problem of high effluent nitrate still exists due to the lack of influent carbon source. Herein, a poly (butanediol succinate) (PBS) assembled MFC was established in an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) bioreactor for simultaneous promoting nitrogen removal and electricity generation. Compared to AGS-Control group, the total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) and COD removal efficiencies of AGS-MFC group were improved to 84.3 ± 2.6% and 93.5 ± 0.5% after 100-days operation. The average output voltage and the maximum power density of the MFC module were 223.7 mV and 59.6 mW/m2, respectively. Through high-throughput sequencing analysis, Thauera-related denitrifying bacteria had the highest relative abundances (20.0% and 31.4%) in both bioreactors. The relative abundance of Nitrosomonas-related ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in AGS-MFC (1.8%) was enriched than AGS-Control (1.1%). In MFC module, Thauera (16.2%) with denitrification and power generation was dominant in anodic biofilms under PBS enhancement. This study provides scientific basis for the application of submersible MFC enhanced deep nitrogen removal under aerobic conditions.

Vanadium nitride decorated carbon cloth anode promotes aniline degradation and electricity generation of MFCs by efficiently enriching electroactive bacteria and promoting extracellular electron transfer.

To increase the colonization of electroactive bacteria and accelerate the rate of extracellular electron transfer, a simple coated anode of microbial fuel cell was designed. Here, we took advantage of vanadium nitride (VN) particles to modify the carbon cloth (VN@CC). Compared with bare carbon cloth, the designed VN@CC bioanodes exhibited a larger electrochemically active area, better biocompatibility, and smaller charge transfer impedance. The MFC with VN@CC bioanodes achieved the maximum power density of 3.89 W m-2 and chemical oxygen demand removal rate of 84% when 1000 mg L-1 aniline was degraded, which were about 1.88 and 2.8 times that of CC. The morphology of biofilm and 16s rRNA gene sequence analysis proved that the VN@CC bioanodes facilitated the enrichment of electroactive bacteria (99.02%) and increased the ratio of fast electron transfer in the extracellular electron transfer, thus enhancing the MFC performance of aniline degradation and power output. This work disclosed that it was feasible to increase the overall performance of MFC by enhancing the EET efficiency and presented valuable insights for future work.

Comparative study on the treatment of swine wastewater by VFCW-MFC and VFCW: Pollutants removal, electricity generation, microorganism community.

Swine wastewater, characterized by high organic and nutrient content, poses significant environmental challenges. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of two treatment technologies, namely Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland-Microbial Fuel Cell (VFCW-MFC) and Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland (VFCW), in terms of pollutant removal, electricity generation, and microorganism community dynamics. The results showed that the average removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and sulfadiazine antibiotics (SDZ) by VFCW-MFC were as high as 94.15%, 95.01%, 42.24%, 97.16% and 82.88%, respectively, which were all higher than that by VFCW. Both VFCW-MFC and VFCW have good tolerance to SDZ. In addition, VFCW-MFC has excellent electrical performance, with output voltage, power density, coulombic efficiency and net energy recovery up to 443.59 mV, 51.2 mW/m3, 52.91% and 2.04 W/(g·s), respectively, during stable operation. Moreover, the microbial community diversity of VFCW-MFC was more abundant, and the species abundance distribution in cathode region was more rich and even than in anode region. At phylum level, the dominant microorganisms in VFCW-MFC included Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Firmicutes and Actinobacteriota, which showed good degradation effect on SDZ. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes are also involved in electricity production. Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota play a major role in nitrogen reduction.