Molecular mechanisms of microbial transmembrane electron transfer of electrochemically active bacteria

Electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) can release electrons generated by anaerobic respiration to various electron acceptors in various bioelectrochemical systems via transmembrane electron transfer (TET). This renders EAB an important application in terms of energy generation. In this review, recent progress in research toward the TET process of EAB is outlined. Differences in TET process between Gram-positive and Gram-negative EAB are analyzed from a cellular structure perspective to comprehensively understand the molecular mechanism involved in TET. In addition, possible avenues for increasing TET efficiency and power generation capacity of EAB are also explored in depth.