Abstract
As the name microbial desalination cell indicates, it involves the use of two approaches, namely, microbial fuel cell and electrodialysis, for the treatment and desalination of wastewater (WW), along with the production of renewable energy. Since it involves two approaches and enables multiple and simultaneous benefits, the system has garnered tremendous attention of the scientific community. In the case of the microbial desalination system, the charged particles (anions and cations) in the desalination chamber (Dc), between the anode and cathode, move to the anodic and the cathodic chamber, respectively, under the influence of the electric fields. These electric field is created by the activity of the exoelectrogens (e.g., bacteria) in the anode which acts on the organic matter (e.g., WW) and generates electricity by oxidation. As it is an emerging technology and due to the focus on the above aspect, the present chapter would deal with the basic concepts of microbial desalination cell, its designing, operational parameters, and various types of microbial desalination cells. Further, the chapter will also deal with the limitations in the use of microbial desalination cell as well as its future prospects.
