Reverse electrodialysis supported microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells

A microbial process for generating a product, comprising:

• providing a system comprising:
• a reaction chamber having a wall defining an interior of the reaction chamber and an exterior of the reaction chamber;
• an anode at least partially contained within an anode compartment of the reaction chamber;
• a plurality of exoelectrogenic microorganisms disposed in the anode compartment;
• a cathode at least partially contained within a cathode compartment of the reaction chamber;
• a conductive conduit for electrons in electrical communication with the anode and the cathode;
• a plurality of alternating anion-selective barriers and cation-selective barriers disposed between the anode and the cathode and defining alternating saline material compartments and lower-saline material compartments;
• a first flow path for a saline material through the saline material compartments and a second flow path for a lower-saline material through the lower-saline material compartments, wherein the saline material and the lower-saline material compartments are adjacent and separated by the anion selective barriers and the cation selective barriers;
• introducing a material oxidizable by an oxidizing activity of the exoelectrogenic microorganisms into the anode chamber;
• introducing the material oxidizable by the exoelectrogenic microorganisms under oxidizing reaction conditions such that electrons are produced and transferred to the anode, generating a potential between the anode and cathode;
• introducing a first saline material having a concentration of dissolved ammonium bicarbonate into the saline material compartments;
• and
• introducing a lower-saline material having a concentration of dissolved ammonium bicarbonate which is lower than that of the first saline material into the lower-saline material compartments, wherein a difference in the concentration of dissolved ammonium bicarbonate in the first saline material compared to the lower-saline material drives ions across the plurality of alternating anion-selective barriers and cation-selective barriers disposed between the anode and the cathode, thereby increasing the potential between the anode and cathode, decreasing the concentration of dissolved ammonium bicarbonate in the saline material to generate a saline material effluent, and increasing the concentration of dissolved ammonium bicarbonate in the lower-saline material to generate a lower-saline material effluent.