TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Compositions: Cathode component contains activated carbon powder as catalyst. Cathode component contains catalyst-enhancing reagent to improve electric conductivity and reduce ohmic loss of the cathode component. Catalyst-enhancing reagent is carbon black and/or graphite powder. Catalyst and catalytic-enhancing reagent are used in combination as a composition containing 50-99% catalyst and 1-50% catalyst-enhancing reagent. Preferred Processes: Base material is coated with coating material. Catalyst and binder are applied as a layer over the base material coated with the coating material. Catalyst is pre-treated with phosphoric acid or nitric acid. Catalyst is treated with iron(III) chloride (FeCl3), cobalt(II) chloride (CoCl2), EDTA, ethylene diamine (EDA), and/or cyanamide. Preferred Conditions: Operation temperature of microbial fuel cell is 4-100 degrees C, preferably 25-80 degrees C. The method is performed in batch-mode or continuous mode.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: Organic-based fuel is wastewater and/or organic-containing fluid. Wastewater is generated from food or beverage processing. Preferred Processes: Electrons and protons from organic-based fuel are separated and isolated from fuel and pass to anode component and to cathode component of microbial fuel cell either through a wire component or through a separator component in which electrons and protons recombine to form water. The method is performed at atmospheric pressure under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure to maintain any carbon dioxide (CO2) generated in a liquid state.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Compositions: Separator component is woven or non-woven fabric consisting of hydrophilic fibers and/or hydrophobic fibers. Hydrophilic fibers are polypropylene, rayon, viscose, acetate, cotton, and/or nylon. Hydrophobic fibers are polyester, acrylic, and/or modacrylic. Fabric in hydrophobic material makes up 1-100% of the fabric. Fabric is polypropylene. Fabric contains blended polyester and acetate, rayon, or cotton. Cathode component contains binder e.g. hydrophilic binder and/or hydrophobic binder. Hydrophilic binder contains functional groups e.g. hydroxyl group, amino group, and/or thiol, and hydrophilic binder is a carbohydrate e.g. saccharide, disaccharide, polysaccharide, and/or mucopolysaccharide. Hydrophilic binder is chitosan, chitosan derivative, glucosamine, and/or glucosamine derivative. Cathode component contains coating material e.g. polytetrafluoroethylene or polydimethylsiloxane. Preferred Processes: Binder is functionalized with crosslinking reagent e.g. glutaraldehyde, poly(ethylene glycol), citric acid glyoxal, and/or epichlorohydrin.