A comprehensive review of microbial desalination cells for present and future challenges

Microbial desalination cell (MDC) is an emerging bio-electrochemical system technology used for wastewater decontamination, seawater desalination, and co-energy production. MDCs can be used alone in combination with various water treatment technologies, which may synergize the process of water purification. Efforts are being made for the scale-up of the technology. However, several challenges need to be answered before the up-gradation of the technology to a large scale. This manuscript provides a thorough chronological-founded assessment that encompasses technological challenges for the scale-up of the MDCs.