Application of ZrO2, MnO2, palladium, palladium-substituted-zirconium oxide (Zr0.98Pd0.02O2) and palladium-substituted-manganese oxide (Mn0.98Pd0.02O2) cathode catalysts in a single-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) was explored. The highest power generation (1.28 W/m(3)) was achieved in MFC with Mn0.98Pd0.02O2 catalyst, which was higher than that with MnO2 (0.58 W/m(3)) alone; whereas, MFC having Zr0.98Pd0.02O2 catalyzed cathode and non-catalyzed cathode produced powers of 1.02 and 0.23 W/m(3), respectively. Also, low-cost zirconium-palladium-composite showed better catalytic activity and capacitance over ZrO2 with 20 A/m(3) current production and demonstrated its suitability for MFC applications. Cyclic voltammetry analyses showed higher well-defined redox peaks in composite catalysts (Mn/Zr-Pd-C) over other catalyzed MFCs containing MnO2 or ZrO2. Electrochemical behaviour of composite catalysts on cathode showed higher availability of adsorption sites for oxygen reduction and, hence, enhanced the rate of cathodic reactions. Thus, Mn/Zr-Pd-C-based composite catalysts exhibited superior cathodic performance and could be proposed as alternatives to costly Pd-catalyst for field applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.