Abstract: Microbial fuel cells ( MFCs) ，as a novel technology can convert chemical energy to electrical energy through catalytic reaction of microorganisms and simultaneously solve the problem of environmental pollution，which have been paid much attention on in recent years． Based on the principle of MFC，the representative electricigens founded in the MFCs currently were reviewed，and the application of MFCs in wastewater /waste treatment were also discussed detailedly from the aspects of anodic oxidation and cathodic reduction． Finally，the development potentials of the MFC application in the environmental protection field were concluded in three aspects．