Recent advances in microbial electrochemical system for soil bioremediation.

Soil contamination poses a serious threat to ecosystem and human well-being. Compared to conventional physical and chemical treatment, the microbial electrochemical system (MES) offers a sustainable and environment-friendly solution for soil bioremediation. In principle, soil microbe degrades organic substrate and releases electron in anode region. The electron flows through electric circuit to the cathode and finally is accepted by oxygen or oxidized metals. With various inherent advantages, MES has been applied in petroleum hydrocarbon, chlorinated organics and heavy metals bioremediation in soils. This paper aims to review the recent advances of MES in soil bioremediation, including main mechanisms of contaminant removal with MES, configurations of soil MES and current development in bioremediation of soil contaminated by organic and inorganic pollutants. Moreover, challenges and future prospects of soil MES are discussed.