Microbial Fuel Cells: Difference between revisions

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A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical system that drives a current by mimicking bacterial interactions found in nature. Instead of using hydrogen as a fuel, as do conventional fuel cells, microbial fuel cells use naturally occurring microbes to generate power. Bacteria live in the anode, where they eat glucose, sewage, or other waste water, and turn that into electrons and protons. The bacteria transfer electrons to the circuit, which provides small amounts of power. MFCs could be installed to wastewater treatment plants. The bacteria would consume waste material from the water and produce supplementary power for the plant. The gains to be made from doing this are that MFCs are a very clean and efficient method of energy production.
Microbial fuel cells are a new way to generate electricity. They use the activity of bacteria to create a potential difference between two chambers. All bacteria metabolize chemicals in their environment and there are often leftover electrons from these processes. A few kinds of bacteria can be persuaded to deposit these onto an electrode placed in their environment.  


=How to=
A microbial fuel cell has a cathode and an anode. Bacteria live in the anode, where they eat glucose, sewage, or other waste. They form a film on the electrode, and when they break down the waste, they produce a current in the wire running out from the electrode.


To make a microbial fuel cell, you put graphite cloth--the anode--in the bottom of a bucket along with chicken wire--the cathode--and microbe-laden waste, either mud, cow manure, or residue from coffee crops. A layer of sand acts as an ion barrier while salt water helps the protons travel more easily. you also can add a power management board to regulate the power and send it to a battery. Such a fuel cell can run a cheap, efficient light-emitting diode (LED) for four to five hours per evening. A system like this will cost around $10.
A wire that runs between the two chambers will have an electric current running along it. You can generate about 1kW from a cubic meter of dirt in this way. (The record is 2.3kW per cubic meter - think you can beat that?)


Microbial fuel cells can be run on dirt, [[Toilets|wastewater]] or other organic matter. There is a variant called a ''microbial electrolysis cell'' that splits water to create hydrogen, rather than generating electrical current. Another variant is the ''microbial desalination cell''. This takes saltwater, splits the salt into sodium and chlorine ions, and uses the potential difference between these ions to generate electric current. Create clean energy while [[Desalination|desalinating]] water - how excellent is that? [http://www.gizmag.com/three-chambered-microbial-desalination-cells/12527/]


=Links=
MIT Technology Review article on MFC [http://www.technologyreview.com/business/21332/page1/]


Wikipedia entry on MFC [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbial_fuel_cell]
In theory, you could build one into your [[Compost|compost]] heap and make that generate electricity, though there don't seem to be reports of people doing this. Someone '''must''' try this.


Mit Technology Review article on MFC [http://www.technologyreview.com/business/21332/page1/]
==How to make one==
To make a microbial fuel cell, you put graphite cloth - the anode - in the bottom of a bucket along with chicken wire - the cathode - and microbe-laden waste, either mud, cow manure, or residue from coffee crops. A layer of sand acts as an ion barrier while salt water helps the protons travel more easily. you also can add a power management board to regulate the power and send it to a battery. Such a fuel cell can run a cheap, efficient light-emitting diode (LED) for four to five hours per evening. A system like this will cost around $10.


Microbial Fuel Cells website [http://www.microbialfuelcell.org]


[[Category:OSA]][[Category:Energy]]
===Instructions on building your own===
''From the OSE perspective, it would be good to condense all of these into a bill of materials, clear instructional video etc.''
 
<gallery>
Image:Abbiemfc.JPG
Image:2-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell.gif
</gallery>
 
* Instructables [http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Microbial-Fuel-Cell-MFC-Part-I/ Part 1] (lost), [http://web.archive.org/web/20101017162327/http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Microbial-Fuel-Cell-MFC-Part-II/ Part 2] and [http://web.archive.org/web/20101017162327/http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Microbial-Fuel-Cell-MFC-Part-III/ Part 3]
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/MicrobialFuelCell Six part YouTube tutorial]
* You definitely need to watch this [http://techtv.mit.edu/collections/mitei/videos/6081-bruce-logan-bioenergy-production-using-microbial-fuel-cell-technologies lecture by Bruce Logan]. It gives a bunch of tips on how to maximise power production from your microbial fuel cell and also explains how to make microbial electrolysis cells and microbial desalination cells. It condenses several years of research into an hour.
* A page on the igem Team:Bielefeld http://2013.igem.org/Team:Bielefeld-Germany/Project/Abstract with design files for 3D printing MFCs parts http://2013.igem.org/Team:Bielefeld-Germany/Project/MFC#Do_It_Yourself
* vanished pages in the archive: [http://web.archive.org/web/20030213185238/http://www.fuel-web.net/ fuel-web.net], [http://web.archive.org/web/20101226085447/http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/index/ fuelcelltoday.com]
 
== See also ==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbial_fuel_cell Wikipedia]
''The following dead links from [http://www.microbialfuelcell.org/www/index.php/Tutorials/ microbialfuelcell.org] were corrected using the 'way back machine' from archive.org:''
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20090118011051/http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/mfc-Logan_files/mfc-makeone.htm Make a Microbial Fuel Cell] - Interested in building a Microbial Fuel Cell yourself? Several students, in middle schools, high schools, and in College, have already had lots of fun with this project (see links below).  We have even included some general guidelines to help get you started if you are interested in making your own. ([http://web.archive.org/web/20070106120813/http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/mfc-Logan_files/PDFs/Student%20MFC%20papers/Abbie%20Groff4.pdf MFC gives CV sophomore a charge])
** [http://web.archive.org/web/20070106120933/http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/mfc-Logan_files/PDFs/Student%20MFC%20papers/Engr_499_final_zielke.pdf Design of a Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell - pdf (1.40 mb)], Eric A. Zielke, Humboldt State University
** [http://web.archive.org/web/20070106120838/http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/mfc-Logan_files/PDFs/Student%20MFC%20papers/Zielke_E323_Project.pdf Probabilistic Analysis of a Monod-type equation by use of a single chamber Microbial Fuel Cell] - pdf (374kb), Eric A. Zielke, Humboldt State University
** [http://web.archive.org/web/20070106120849/http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/mfc-Logan_files/PDFs/Student%20MFC%20papers/Zielke_E326_Project.pdf Probabilistic Analysis of a Monod-type equation by use of a single chamber Microbial Fuel Cell], pdf (1021kb), Eric A. Zielke, Humboldt State University
** [http://web.archive.org/web/20070106120856/http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/mfc-Logan_files/PDFs/Student%20MFC%20papers/Zielke_E471_Project.pdf Thermodynamic Analysis of s single chamber Microbial Fuel Cell], pdf (707kb), Eric A. Zielke, Humboldt State University
** [http://web.archive.org/web/20070106120913/http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/mfc-Logan_files/PDFs/Student%20MFC%20papers/Zielke_E521_Project.pdf Numerical Analysis of a one dimensional Diffusion Equation for a single chamber Microbial Fuel Cell using a Linked Simulation Optimization (LSO) technique], pdf (924), Eric A. Zielke, Humboldt State University
 
[[Category:Microbial_Fuel_Cell]]

Latest revision as of 02:45, 12 December 2014

Microbial fuel cells are a new way to generate electricity. They use the activity of bacteria to create a potential difference between two chambers. All bacteria metabolize chemicals in their environment and there are often leftover electrons from these processes. A few kinds of bacteria can be persuaded to deposit these onto an electrode placed in their environment.

A microbial fuel cell has a cathode and an anode. Bacteria live in the anode, where they eat glucose, sewage, or other waste. They form a film on the electrode, and when they break down the waste, they produce a current in the wire running out from the electrode.

A wire that runs between the two chambers will have an electric current running along it. You can generate about 1kW from a cubic meter of dirt in this way. (The record is 2.3kW per cubic meter - think you can beat that?)

Microbial fuel cells can be run on dirt, wastewater or other organic matter. There is a variant called a microbial electrolysis cell that splits water to create hydrogen, rather than generating electrical current. Another variant is the microbial desalination cell. This takes saltwater, splits the salt into sodium and chlorine ions, and uses the potential difference between these ions to generate electric current. Create clean energy while desalinating water - how excellent is that? [1]

MIT Technology Review article on MFC [2]

In theory, you could build one into your compost heap and make that generate electricity, though there don't seem to be reports of people doing this. Someone must try this.

How to make one

To make a microbial fuel cell, you put graphite cloth - the anode - in the bottom of a bucket along with chicken wire - the cathode - and microbe-laden waste, either mud, cow manure, or residue from coffee crops. A layer of sand acts as an ion barrier while salt water helps the protons travel more easily. you also can add a power management board to regulate the power and send it to a battery. Such a fuel cell can run a cheap, efficient light-emitting diode (LED) for four to five hours per evening. A system like this will cost around $10.


Instructions on building your own

From the OSE perspective, it would be good to condense all of these into a bill of materials, clear instructional video etc.

  • Abbiemfc.JPG
  • 2-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell.gif

See also

The following dead links from microbialfuelcell.org were corrected using the 'way back machine' from archive.org:

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