BACKGROUND: In the present study, the performance of ethanol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and glucose degradation in a bio-electro-Fenton (BEF) system was investigated. This system contained a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) with Nafion (R) membrane as a separator and is equipped with an Fe@Fe2O3/graphite electrode. The performance of MFCs under different operational conditions was evaluated in terms of glucose removal, ethanol production and electrical power output. RESULTS: The maximum ethanol production in an anaerobic condition was 11.52 g L-1. The glucose removal was 34.15 and 68.81% and the measured maximum power densities were 13.51 and 30.46 mW m(-2) with graphite and Fe@Fe2O3/graphite systems, respectively. CONCLUSION: The energy production, glucose degradation and fermentation process for ethanol production from glucose by S. cerevisiae was successfully carried out in a BEF system. This study demonstrates that the BEF system, without the requirement for an external electrical energy supply and any addition of H2O2, is an effective and economical system for wastewater treatment. (C) 2015 Society of Chemical Industry