Recent progress on microbial electrosynthesis reactor designs and strategies to enhance the reactor performance

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is an emerging and promising technology for converting CO₂ into valuable organic compounds, such as, methane, acetate, and alcohols. Though several advancements have been achieved over the last decade, the productivity and energy efficiency of MES still need to be improved to enhance its commercialization prospect. The reactor design is one of the crucial factors determining the performance and the up-scaling potential of MES technology. Here, we first present a brief overview of the conventional and advanced reactor designs and configurations reported for MES. Then, we summarize five key strategies that can be implemented to enhance the performance of MES reactors. Finally, we provide some suggestions and perspectives on the future development of MES reactors. The performance of MES could be increased by improving the chemicals production rates and decreasing the electricity consumption with the advanced reactor configuration.