Disclosed is a mediator-less microbial fuel cell comprising a cathode
compartment, an anode compartment, with or without glass wool and glass
bead for separating the two compartments, an element for feeding air to
the cathode compartment, and an element for feeding wastewater to the
anode compartment. The cell further comprises an element for controlling
the distance between the cathode compartment and the anode compartment.
Graphite felt or graphite felt coated with a metal such as platinum is
used as an electrode of the cathode compartment, and a buffer solution is
used in the anode compartment. A mediator-less microbial fuel cell
according to the present invention can be operated without using an
expensive cation-exchange membrane, of which efficiency is by no means
inferior to prior wastewater treatment methods.