The performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) in terms of degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP) was investigated. Approximately 84% of 50 mg/L CAP was degraded within 12 h in the MFC. A significant interaction of pH, temperature, and initial CAP concentration was found on removal of CAP, and a maximum degradation rate of 96.53% could theoretically be achieved at 31.48 degrees C, a pH of 7.12, and an initial CAP concentration of 106.37 mg/L. Moreover, CAP was further degraded through a ring-cleavage pathway. The antibacterial activity of CAP towards Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was largely eliminated by MFC treatment. High-throughput sequencing analysis indicated that Azonexus, Comamonas, Nitrososphaera, Chryseobacterium, Azoarcus, Rhodococcus, and Dysgonomonas were the predominant genera in the MFC anode biofilm. In conclusion, the MFC shows potential for the treatment of antibiotic residue-containing wastewater due to its high rates of CAP removal and energy recovery. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.