From Environmental Pollutants to Electricity Generation: A Bibliometric Correlation Between Bioelectrochemistry and Pollutants in the Environment

The rise in the presence and identification of biorefractory pollutants, also known as emerging contaminants (ECs) like microplastics, in the environment has been notable in recent times, attributed to factors such as population growth, changes in lifestyle, and rapid industrialization. A variety of pollutant substances are necessitated suitable remediation. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) represent sustainable technologies that can be utilized. In the current bibliometric investigation, the connection between bioelectrochemistry and pollutants in the environment is examined. Data obtained from the Web of Science database were utilized for the bibliometric analysis employing VOSviewer and R. According to the results, a highly integrated and rapidly maturing research landscape, characterized by a clear transition from fundamental technological development to large-scale environmental applications. The study serves as the essential bridge between the two primary pillars of the field: sustainable energy recovery and environmental remediation. The keyword co-occurrence networks illustrate a sophisticated synergy where the oxidative biodegradation of organic pollutants is directly coupled with electricity generation. A key discovery is the inherent synergy between the biodegradation of pollutants and the generation of electricity, which characterizes the contemporary ‘waste-to-energy’ model.