Based on Liam Doherty at al (2015) review, Constructed Wetland Microbial Fuel Cells (CM-

MFC) is a recently emerged technology for treating wastewater and generating electricity. MFC
utilize substrate to generate electricity and it can be supported by microorganism that is applied
in rhizospere of constructed wetland. Constructed wetland is known as technology which can
remove pollutant such as nitrogen (nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia), phosphorus, and even heavy
metals. So do MFC, can treat both chemical oxygen demand (COD) and harmful contaminant in
wastewater.

Sediment microbial fuell cell (SMFC) which has been developed before microbial fuel cells use
plant (Plant MFC) to get higher voltage, moreover, currently it shows a promising bioenergy
because it can generate electricity to power mini fan and biosensor in somewhere lake in US.

This review proof me something that microbial fuel cells and constructed wetland are suitable to
be applied in Indonesia in which many treatment plants applicate wetlands to treat wastewater.
Microbial fuel cells is also being developed in lab-scale and is still few research on it. This
chance need to be explored, especially to increase pollutant removal effieciency, and further to
generate electricity

Continuing my previous article, I’d like to give a mini review about current research of
constructed wetland microbial fuel cell (CWMFC). There are a lot of studies to improving this
technology performance. Many researcher have been made some different design knowing the
best configuration to treating the fuel and generating electricity. Present study give an
information that combination of Constructed Wetland and Microbial Fuel Cell can work
effectively if we use suitable material for each part of microbial fuel cell (anode, cathode, or
separator).

Oon et al (2015) in their research showing best voltage of upflow constructed wetland microbial
fuel cell (UFCW-MFC) when electrode (anode and cathode) spacing was small (in this research,
15 cm of space required). Maximum power density was 6,12 mW/m2, respectively. Nitrate and
ammonium can be removed for about 40% and 91%. Aeration have done to control the aerobic
and anaerobic regions of the system. They use carbon felt electrodes which have 280 cm2 of
surface area and inoculated in the mixed culture sludge. This sophisticated design give a new
paradigm that microbial fuel cells can be applied with upflow constructed wetland.

Different study (Lu et al, 2015) focused on how microbial consortia in anode side can improve
the wetland microbial fuel cell performance. Associated with Canna indica, bacterial and
archaeal communities can produce maximum current of 106 mA/m2 by utilizing fuel as electron
donor and another nutrient contained in rhizospere. That association is called syntrophy which
positively give better performance of microbial fuel cells. But there is another syntrophy which
can be limit the growth condition of microbial consortia especially oligotrophic bacteria. That is
competition between denitrifying bacteria or methanogens which produce an electron acceptor
that can decrease the current production.

This field of study still rare to be found in Indonesia. Many renewable energy researcher still
focus on biodiesel and another bioconversion of waste. Constructed wetland microbial fuel cell
can be a compromising technology which have viable cost, generate electricity, and high
efficiency removal. This ‘power plant’ is a green energy that this country needed.

For further explanation you can see from this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nMRBE2X-Dc