Anodic potentials, electricity generation and bacterial community as affected by plant roots in sediment microbial fuel cell: Effects of anode locations

The race between classical microbial fuel cells, sediment-microbial fuel cells, plant-microbial fuel cells, and constructed wetlands-microbial fuel cells: Applications and technology readiness level

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an interesting technology capable of converting the chemical energy stored in organics to electricity. It has raised high hopes among researchers and end users as the world continues to face climate change, water, energy, and land crisis. This review aims to discuss the journey of continuously progressing MFC technology from the lab to the field so far. It evaluates the historical development of MFC, and the emergence of different variants of MFC or MFC-associated other technologies such as sediment-microbial fuel cell (S-MFC), plant-microbial fuel cell (P-MFC), and integrated constructed wetlands-microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC). This review has assessed primary applications and challenges to overcome existing limitations for commercialization of these technologies. In addition, it further illustrates the design and potential applications of S-MFC, P-MFC, and CW-MFC. Lastly, the maturity and readiness of MFC, S-MFC, P-MFC, and CW-MFC for real-world implementation were assessed by multicriteria-based assessment. Wastewater treatment efficiency, bioelectricity generation efficiency, energy demand, cost investment, and scale-up potential were mainly considered as key criteria. Other sustainability criteria, such as life cycle and environmental impact assessments were also evaluated.

Investigation of electrochemical properties, leachate purification, organic matter characteristics, and microbial diversity in a sludge treatment wetland- microbial fuel cell

Sludge treatment wetland-microbial fuel cell (STW-MFC) is a unique sludge treatment process that produces bioelectricity, but its technology is still in its infancy. This study investigated the electrochemical properties, organic matter characteristics, leachate purification, and microbial community structure of STW-MFCs as affected by electrode location. When electrodes were placed in the filler layer, the STW-MFC system presented a higher power generation capacity (maximum output power density: 0.498 W/m³; peak cell voltage: 0.879 V) and organic matter degradation efficiency. The hydrophilic fraction was the main dissolved organic carbon fraction in sludge extracellular biological organic matter (EBOM) and leachate dissolved organic matter (DOM). Aromatics were mainly concentrated in the hydrophobic acid fraction. The UV-254 content of sludge EBOM decreased mainly in the hydrophilic and transphilic acid fractions. The excitation-emission matrix analysis showed that tryptophan-like protein was more easily eliminated than tyrosine-like protein. In addition, there was a strong correlation between voltage and NH₄⁺ removal efficiency; a negative correlation between total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency, and a negative correlation between pH and TN, TP, and NH₄⁺ removal efficiencies. High-throughput sequencing showed that the system was most abundant in Thermomonas, Geothrix and Geobacter when the electrodes were placed in the filled layer, while the levels of genes for membrane transport, carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism functions were higher than in other systems. This work will support STW- MFC widespread implementation by illuminating the underlying mechanics of different anode positions.

Insight into the organic matter degradation enhancement in the bioelectrochemically-assisted sludge treatment wetland: Transformation of the organic matter and microbial community evolution

Sludge treatment wetland (STW) has been widely used to dewater and mineralize the various sludge, but the low degradation ability of organic matter can limit its application. Bioelectrochemistry has been proven to accelerate the degradation of organic compounds and recover bioenergy from the sludge. In this study, a bioelectrochemical-assisted sludge treatment wetland (BE-STW) system was constructed to determine the most common types of degraded organic matter and the functional bacterial community. It was found that the bioelectrochemistry process contributed to a further removal of the total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) by 19% (±0.6) and the additional soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) value was 64.10% (±0.63), with a voltage output of 0.961 V and a power density of 0.351 W/m³. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic acid fractions of the sludge were preferentially removed in BE-STW. The tryptophan-like protein and fulvic acid-like substances were totally removed, whereas, the hydrolysis of aromatic organic compounds in the neutral and hydrophobic acid fractions was enhanced. Also, the enrichment of Longilinea and Methylophilus improved the hydrolysis of organic matter. Moreover, the high relative abundance of Thauera, Dechloromonas, and Syntrophorhabdus could accelerate the degradation of aromatic compounds in the BE-STW system. The bacteria from the genus Geobacter was predominantly detected (2.48%) in the anodic biofilm on BE-STW. The results showed that bioelectrochemistry could improve the sludge stabilization degree in STW, accelerate the organic matter degradation and hydrolysis efficiency, and harvest bioelectricity, simultaneously. This technology can provide a new pathway to increase the efficiency of the traditional STW systems.

Simultaneous removal of heavy metals and bioelectricity generation in microbial fuel cell coupled with constructed wetland: an optimization study on substrate and plant types

A microbial fuel cell coupled with constructed wetland (CW-MFC) was built to remove heavy metals (Zn and Ni) from sludge. The performance for the effects of substrates (granular activated carbon (GAC), ceramsite) and plants (Iris pseudacorus, water hyacinth) towards the heavy metal treatment as well as electricity generation was systematically investigated to determine the optimal constructions of CW-MFCs. The CW-MFC systems possessed higher Zn and Ni removal efficiencies as compared to CW. The maximal removal rates of Zn (76.88%) and Ni (66.02%) were obtained in system CW-MFC based on GAC and water hyacinth (GAC- and WH-CW-MFC). Correspondingly, the system produced the maximum voltage of 534.30 mV and power density of 70.86 mW·m^-3, respectively. Plant roots and electrodes contributed supremely to the removal of heavy metals, especially for GAC- and WH-CW-MFC systems. The coincident enrichment rates of Zn and Ni reached 21.10% and 26.04% for plant roots and 14.48% and 16.50% for electrodes, respectively. A majority of the heavy metals on the sludge surface were confirmed as Zn and Ni. Furthermore, the high-valence Zn and Ni were effectively reduced to low-valence or elemental metals. This study provides a theoretical guidance for the optimal construction of CW-MFC and the resource utilization of sludge containing heavy metals.

Plant microbial fuel cell: Opportunities, challenges, and prospects

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are considered as greener technologies for generation of bioenergy and simultaneously treatment of wastewater. However, the major drawback of these technologies was, rapid utilization of substrate by the microbes to generate power. This drawback is solved to a great extent by plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) technology. Therefore, this review critically explored the challenges associated with PMFC technology and approaches to be employed for making it commercially feasible, started with brief introduction of MFCs, and PMFCs. This review also covered various factors like light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration in air, type of plant used, microbial flora in rhizosphere and also electrode material used which influence the efficiency of PMFC. Finally, this review comprehensively revealed the possibility of future intervention, such as application of biochar and preferable plants species which improve the performance of PMFC along with their opportunities challenges and prospects.

Microbial fuel cell improves restoration of Hydrilla verticillata in an algae-rich sediment microcosm system

Settled algae may be used as nutrient for macrophyte establishment, but also can induce marked macrophyte decline during deep anaerobic decomposition. Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) may promote the utilization of algae-derived nutrients and relieve bio-toxicity from settled algae to submerged macrophytes, thus facilitating plant production. To test these hypotheses, a 62-day comparative study was designed and conducted in microcosms with the following six treatments: control (open-circuit SMFC), plant (open-circuit SMFC with plants), algae (open-circuit SMFC with algae), algae-plant (open-circuit SMFC with algae and plants), algae-SMFC (closed-circuit SMFC with algae), and algae-plant-SMFC (closed-circuit SMFC with algae and plants). The results showed that the presence of Hydrilla verticillata improved the power generation of SMFCs when algae were used as substrates during the whole operation. The decomposition of sedimented algae experienced two periods since the injection. During the slight decomposition period (14-38 day), the algal retention in sediments was enhanced by H. verticillata as a nutrient source. Nitrogen (N) assimilation in plant shoots was facilitated under electrogenesis due to a simultaneous increase of algae-derived dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) in the water column. At the end of the 38th day, the biomass of H. verticillata were increased by 21.4% and 52.3%, respectively, in the algae-plant and algae-plant-SMFC, compared with that in plant treatment. Obvious NH₄⁺-stress was exerted on H. verticillata during the following intense algal decomposition period (38-62 day). Compared with shoots, roots of H. verticillata were more sensitive to the biotoxicity of algae-derived NH₄⁺. The electrogenetic process diverted the degradation pathway from acetoclastic methanogenesis to electrogenesis via redox cycle, resulting in delayed algal decomposition in algae-SMFC treatment. In addition, electrogenesis enhanced the removal of algae-derived N. As a result, NH₄⁺ toxicity to plant roots was effectively alleviated, and sedimented algae served as a stable nutrient source for plant development. Stable transfer rate of algae-derived N from sediments to plant roots was observed, while the assimilation rate of algae-derived N from water column to plant shoots showed a constant increase in the algae-plant-SMFC treatment. Electrogenesis enhanced N-fixing capacity belonged to rhizosphere of H. verticillata, evidenced by greater enrichment of some plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), including Bradyrhizobium, Mycobacterium, Paenibacillus, Mesorhizobium, and Roseomonas in the algae-plant-SMFC treatment. At the end of the experiment, marked increases in the production of H. verticillata in algae-plant-SMFC were observed, with 90.1% and 32.8%, respectively, when compared with algae-plant and plant treatments (p < 0.05). SMFC application could be used as a strategy to promote the growth of submerged macrophytes in algae-rich sediments.

Microorganisms in sediment microbial fuel cells: Ecological niche, microbial response, and environmental function

A sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) is a device that harvests electrical energy from sediments rich in organic matter. SMFCs have been attracting increasing amounts of interest in environmental remediation, since they are capable of providing a clean and inexhaustible source of electron donors or acceptors and can be easily controlled by adjusting the electrochemical parameters. The microorganisms inhabiting sediments and the overlying water play a pivotal role in SMFCs. Since the SMFC is applied in an open environment rather than in an enclosed chamber, the effects of the environment on the microbes should be intense and the microbial community succession should be extremely complex. Thus, this review aims to provide an overview of the microorganisms in SMFCs, which few previous review papers have reported. In this study, the anodic and cathodic niches for the microorganisms in SMFCs are summarized, how the microbial population and community interact with the SMFC environment is discussed, a new microbial succession strategy called the electrode stimulation succession is proposed, and recent developments in the environmental functions of SMFCs are discussed from the perspective of microorganisms. Future studies are needed to investigate the electrode stimulation succession, the environmental function and the electron transfer mechanism in order to boost the application of SMFCs for power generation and environmental remediation.

Dual role of macrophytes in constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells using pyrrhotite as cathode material: A comparative assessment

In the recent years many studies have shown that wetland plants play beneficial roles in bioelectricity enhancement in constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) because of the exudation of root oxygen and root exudates. In this study, the long-term roles of plants on the bioelectricity generation and contaminant removal were investigated in multi-anode (Anode1 and Anode2) and single cathode CW-MFCs. The electrode distances were 20 cm between Anode1-cathode and 10 cm between Anode2-cathode, respectively. Additionally, the employment of natural conductive pyrrhotite mineral as cathode material was firstly investigated in CW-MFC system. A cathode potential of -98 ± 52 mV to -175 ± 60 mV was achieved in the unplanted (CW-MFC 1), and planted CW-MFCs with Iris pseudacorus (CW-MFC 2), Lythrum salicaria (CW-MFC 3), and Phragmites australis (CW-MFC 4). The maximum power densities of Anode1-cathode and Anode2-cathode were 8.23 and 15.29 mW/m² in CW-MFC 1, 8.51 and 1.67 mW/m² in CW-MFC 2, 5.67 and 3.15 mW/m² in CW-MFC 3, and 7.59 and 14.71 mW/m² in CW-MFC 4, respectively. Interestingly, smaller power density was observed at Anode2-cathode, which has shorter electrode distance than Anode1-cathode in both CW-MFC 2 and CW-MFC 3, which indicates the negative role of oxygen released from the flourished plant roots at Anode2 micro-environment in power production. Therefore, recovering power from commercial CW-MFCs with flourished plants will be a challenge. The contradiction between keeping short electrode distance and avoiding the interference from plant roots to maintain anaerobic anode may be solved by the proposed modular CW-MFCs.

Operation mechanism of constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment and electricity generation: A review

Constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells (CWL-MFCs) are eco-friendly and sustainable technology, simultaneously implementing contaminant removal and electricity production. According to intensive research over the last five years, this review on the operation mechanism was conducted for in-depth understanding and application guidance of CWL-MFCs. The electrochemical mechanism based on anodic oxidation and cathodic reduction is the core for improved treatment in CWL-MFCs compared to CWLs. As the dominant bacterial community, the abundance and gene-expression patterns of electro-active bacteria responds to electrode potentials and contaminant loadings, further affecting operational efficiency of CWL-MFCs. Plants benefit COD and N removal by supplying oxygen for aerobic degradation and rhizosphere secretions for microorganisms. Multi-electrode configuration, carbon-based electrodes and rich porous substrates affect transfer resistance and bacterial communities. The possibilities of CWL-MFCs targeting at recalcitrant contaminants like flame retardants and interchain interactions among effect components need systematic research.

Electrical current generation from a continuous flow macrophyte biocathode sediment microbial fuel cell (mSMFC) during the degradation of pollutants in urban river sediment

A new type of sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) with floating macrophyte Limnobium laevigatum, Pistia stratiotes, or Lemna minor L. biocathode was constructed and assessed in three phases at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) for electrical current generation during the degradation of urban river sediment. The results showed a highest voltage output of 0.88 ± 0.1 V, maximum power density of 80.22 mW m^-3, highest columbic efficiency of 15.3%, normalized energy recovery of 0.030 kWh m^-3, and normalized energy production of 0.005 kWh m^-3 in the Lemna minor L. SMFC during phase 3 at HRT of 48 h, respectively. Highest removal efficiencies of total chemical oxygen demand of 80%, nitrite of 99%, ammonia of 93%, and phosphorus of 94% were achieved in Lemna minor L. system, and 99% of nitrate removal and 99% of sulfate removal were achieved in Pistia stratiotes and Limnobium laevigatum system during the SMFC operation, respectively. Pistia stratiotes exhibited the highest growth in terms of biomass and tap root system of 29.35 g and 12.2 cm to produce the maximum dissolved oxygen of 16.85 ± 0.2 mg L^-1 compared with other macrophytes. The predominant bacterial phylum Proteobacteria of 62.86% and genus Exiguobacterium of 17.48% were identified in Limnobium laevigatum system, while the class Gammaproteobacteria of 28.77% was observed in the control SMFC. The integration of technologies with the continuous flow operation shows promising prospect in the remediation of polluted urban river sediments along with the generation of electrical current.

Chlorella vulgaris on the cathode promoted the performance of sediment microbial fuel cells for electrogenesis and pollutant removal

The lack of electron acceptors in cathode has limited the widespread application of sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs). In this study, Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) was added to the cathode to produce oxygen as an electron acceptor. The synergistic effects between C. vulgaris and electrogenic microorganisms in SMFCs were investigated, and were shown to enhance biodegradation of organic matter in sediments and convert chemical energy into electrical energy. Results showed that the addition of C. vulgaris on the cathode of SMFCs significantly reduced their internal resistance. The low algae concentration SMFC group reduced the initial internal resistance by 67.4% under illumination and produced a maximum power density of 5.17 W/m³, which was 6 times higher than that of SMFCs without addition of C. vulgaris. We also obtained organic matter removal efficiencies 37.2% higher after 16 days, which accelerated the startup time for three times. It was demonstrated that IEF-N and OP, respectively, were forms of nitrogen and phosphorus removed by SMFCs. Additionally, high-throughput sequencing of microbial communities indicated that C. vulgaris increased the abundance of electrogenic bacteria (Geobacter and Desulfobulbaceae) in the anode and types of photosynthetic bacteria that support oxygen production in the cathode. The combined application of microalgae- and SMFC-based technologies offer a promising remediation approach for organically-contaminated sediments.

Novel chitosan based smart cathode electrocatalysts for high power generation in plant based-sediment microbial fuel cells

Smart electrocatalysts are synthesized from chitosan polymer and magnetic particles to enhance power by plant based sediment microbial fuel cell (P-SMFC). Cross-linked procedure is performed gelatinous microspheres as supporting metals (Cu, Pd, Mn, Pt, and Ni) and magnetic particles which create a porous structure on smart catalysts for increase ORR activity. A high and quick OCV rising is achieved with addition of Mag-Pd-Ch in reactor, and OCV value immediately increase from 0.408 V to 0.819 V within 10 minutes. The highest power density is also obtained as 1298 mW m^-2 for reactor with Mag-Pd-Ch, which was 15 times higher than control. Significant metal leaching is observed using plant growth for smart catalyst containing Cu. Consequently, high power production, good stabilization, easy separation from water environment due to magnetic property, and relatively low cost make use of Mag-Pd-Ch both economic and environment friendly tools to enhance power generation in P-SMFC.

Mitigation effects of the microbial fuel cells on heavy metal accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The increase in toxic heavy metal pollutants in rice paddies threatens food safety. There is an urgent need for lnow-cost remediation technology for immobilizing these trace metals. In this study, we showed that the application of the soil microbial fuel cell (sMFC) can greatly reduce the accumulation of Cd, Cu, Cr, and Ni in the rice plant tissue. In the sMFC treatment, the accumulation of Cd, Cu, Cr, and Ni in rice grains was 35.1%, 32.8%, 56.9% and 21.3% lower than the control, respectively. The reduction of these elements in the rice grain was due to their limited mobility in the soil porewater of soils employing the sMFC. The restriction in Cd, Cu, Cr, and Ni bioavailability was ascribed to the sMFC ability to immobilize trace metals through both biotic and abiotic means. The results suggest that the sMFC may be used as a promising technique to limit toxic trace metal bioavailability and translocation in the rice plants.

Carbon nanomaterial-modified graphite felt as an anode enhanced the power production and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon removal in sediment microbial fuel cells

Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) can be used to generate electricity and remove organic contaminants. For electricity generation and contaminant removal, the anode material is one of important factors influencing the performance of SMFCs. In this study, graphene (GR), graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were applied to modify the graphite felt (GF) anode in SMFCs during 110 d operation. An economical and easy modification method with the carbon nanomaterials was applied. The carbon nanomaterials increased the electrochemically active surface areas and biomass content of the anodes and correspondingly effectively enhanced the generation of electricity and the removal rates of loss on ignition (LOI) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (phenanthrene and pyrene). During the steady period from 50 d to 110 d, the GO-SMFCs favored the enrichment of EAB and thus output the highest voltages of 30.60-48.61 mV. The GR-SMFCs and GO-SMFCs generated high electric power of approximate 0.98 ± 0.14 kJ and 0.87 ± 0.04 kJ, followed by CNT-SMFCs (0.57 ± 0.06 kJ) and GF-SMFCs (0.49 ± 0.07 kJ) during the 110 d operation. The PAH degradation was not directly related to the electric current in the SMFCs. Near the anodes, the order of the phenanthrene removal rates was CNT-SMFCs (78.1%) > GR-SMFCs (73.0%) ≈ GO-SMFCs (71.2%) > GF-SMFCs (45.6%), and the order of the pyrene removal rates was GO-SMFCs (69.6%) ≈ GR-SMFCs (68.2%) ≈ CNT-SMFCs (66.7%) > GF-SMFCs (42.3%). The three carbon nanomaterials increased the microbial community diversity and slightly changed the microbial community distribution of biofilms on the anodes. Correlation analysis indicated that the degradation of phenanthrene was positively correlated with the abundances of Pseudomonas, Thauera, Diaphorobacter, Tumebacillus and Lysobacter. Pyrene degradation was strongly correlated with LOI degradation.

Saline and Alkaline Tolerance of Wetland Plants—What are the Most Representative Evaluation Indicators?

The increasing discharge of wastewater containing inorganic salts, sometimes accompanied by high pH, has been a worldwide environmental problem. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are considered a viable technology for treating saline and/or alkaline wastewater provided that saline-alkaline tolerant plant species are selected and applied. The influence of both saline and alkaline stress on four wetland plant species during their seed germination, early growth, vegetative propagation and continued growth stages was evaluated by three experiments. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted for selecting representative indicators for evaluating the saline and alkaline tolerance of plants during vegetative propagation and plant growth stages. The saline and alkaline stress inhibited the vegetative propagation and plant growth of all tested plant species to varying degrees, therein the influences of saline-alkaline stress on plants were more marked than saline stress. The length of new roots, Na+ accumulation in plant tissue, Na+/K+ ratios in aerial tissue and the total dry biomass were selected as most representative indicators for evaluating the saline and alkaline tolerance of plants. Iris sibirica and Lythrum salicaria showed better saline and alkaline tolerance ability among tested species and could be grown in CWs for treating saline and/or alkaline wastewater.

Performance of different macrophytes in the decontamination of and electricity generation from swine wastewater via an integrated constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell process

Plants constitute a major element of constructed wetlands (CWs). In this study, a coupled system comprising an integrated vertical flow CW (IVCW) and a microbial fuel cell (MFC) for swine wastewater treatment was developed to research the effects of macrophytes commonly employed in CWs, Canna indica, Acorus calamus, and Ipomoea aquatica, on decontamination and electricity production in the system. Because of the different root types and amounts of oxygen released by the roots, the rates of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) removal from the swine wastewater differed as well. In the unplanted, Canna indica, Acorus calamus, and Ipomoea aquatica systems, the COD removal rates were 80.20%, 88.07%, 84.70%, and 82.20%, respectively, and the NH₄⁺-N removal rates were 49.96%, 75.02%, 70.25%, and 68.47%, respectively. The decontamination capability of the Canna indica system was better than those of the other systems. The average output voltages were 520±42, 715±20, 660±27, and 752±26mV for the unplanted, Canna indica, Acorus calamus, and Ipomoea aquatica systems, respectively, and the maximum power densities were 0.2230, 0.4136, 0.3614, and 0.4964W/m³, respectively. Ipomoea aquatica had the largest effect on bioelectricity generation promotion. In addition, electrochemically active bacteria, Geobacter and Desulfuromonas, were detected in the anodic biofilm by high-throughput sequencing analysis, and Comamonas (Proteobacteria), which is widely found in MFCs, was also detected in the anodic biofilm. These results confirmed the important role of plants in IVCW-MFCs.

Increased power production and removal efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by plant pumps in sediment microbial electrochemical systems: A preliminary study

The low mass transfer of sediment substrates has limited the efficiency and application of a sediment microbial electrochemical system (SMES) as a power generator and as a practical bioremediation technology. In this study, we designed a new plant-driven SMES (New-PSMES) with a separated sand-filled anode column in order to improve the mass transfer and thereby enhance the microorganism activity, power generation and bioremediation range and efficiency for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Because of the mass flow driven by the plants, the New-PSMESs started up approximately 7 d earlier and produced voltages 30-70 mV higher than the planted SMESs, and had greater enzyme activities and residual organic carbon than the unplanted and planted SMESs. In the New-PSMES, the total mass removal rates of phenanthrene and pyrene were 62.98% and 57.02% after 82 d, and these values were 1.5-2 times higher than those of the unplanted and planted SMESs. The removal of PAHs in the sediment was primarily attributed to nonelectrochemical biodegradation at sites far from the anode and to electrochemical reactions on the anode. The top three most abundant phyla in all samples were Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. Aerobic bacteria, such as Nautella, were enriched in the biofilms of the New-PSMESs.

Activated Carbon Mixed with Marine Sediment is Suitable as Bioanode Material for Spartina anglica Sediment/Plant Microbial Fuel Cell: Plant Growth, Electricity Generation, and Spatial Microbial Community Diversity

Wetlands cover a significant part of the world’s land surface area. Wetlands are permanently or temporarily inundated with water and rich in nutrients. Therefore, wetlands equipped with Plant-Microbial Fuel Cells (Plant-MFC) can provide a new source of electricity by converting organic matter with the help of electrochemically active bacteria. In addition, sediments provide a source of electron donors to generate electricity from available (organic) matters. Eight lab-wetlands systems in the shape of flat-plate Plant-MFC were constructed. Here, four wetland compositions with activated carbon and/or marine sediment functioning as anodes were investigated for their suitability as a bioanode in a Plant-MFC system. Results show that Spartina anglica grew in all of the plant-MFCs, although the growth was less fertile in the 100% activated carbon (AC100) Plant-MFC. Based on long-term performance (2 weeks) under 1000 ohm external load, the 33% activated carbon (AC33) Plant-MFC outperformed the other plant-MFCs in terms of current density (16.1 mA/m2 plant growth area) and power density (1.04 mW/m2 plant growth area). Results also show a high diversity of microbial communities dominated by Proteobacteria with 42.5%–69.7% relative abundance. Principal Coordinates Analysis shows clear different bacterial communities between 100% marine sediment (MS100) Plant-MFC and AC33 Plant-MFC. This result indicates that the bacterial communities were affected by the anode composition. In addition, small worms (Annelida phylum) were found to live around the plant roots within the anode of the wetland with MS100. These findings show that the mixture of activated carbon and marine sediment are suitable material for bioanodes and could be useful for the application of Plant-MFC in a real wetland. Moreover, the usage of activated carbon could provide an additional function like wetland remediation or restoration, and even coastal protection.