Porous anodes with helical flow pathways in bioelectrochemical systems: The effects of fluid dynamics and operating regimes

► Bioelectrochemical system design and materials have large effects on performance. ► Comparing porous carbon anodes in changing operating conditions can inform design. ► A new carbon foam material in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) shows high performance. ► Flow channel details effect mass transfer and increased MFC power production. ► Helical anode designs led to 3-10 times higher volumetric power densities.