<p>In the current era, all over the globe, mankind is facing severe challenges such as energy shortage and unfavorable alteration of the environment. The population explosion has put the world into a global energy and water crisis. Bioelectrochemical cells serve as sustainable solutions to the said problems. Bioelectrochemical cells&#xa0;(BECs) can be categorized as microbial fuel cells (MFC), microbial electrolysis cells (MEC), microbial electrosynthesis cells (MESC), etc. The working principle of these bioelectrochemical cells utilizes biological catalysts to catalyze electrochemical reactions within the cell. This catalyst may extract electrons from biomass and generate electricity or help convert waste materials into useful/value-added products such as green hydrogen, methane, and acetate, etc. The products formed can be used for fuel purposes or as a substrate for other BECs. Over the past two decades, extensive progress has been made using advanced electrode modifications, optimized reactor configuration, and integration with other treatment facilities to overcome scaling constraints of these systems. Despite these developments, challenges remain in terms of efficiency, scalability, and economic viability. In this review, recent innovations in BECs to maximize power and resource recovery from different wastes have been explored, along with technical barriers faced during large-scale commercialization. Life cycle assessments, policy and regulations and techno-economic feasibility for the installation of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) in the real world have also been discussed to guide future research and investment.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>