Microbial Fuel Cell

By- Aditya Aagare Devanshi Gupta

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

Need of MFC(Microbial Fuel Cell):

Two very great issues are daunting scientists today-the fuel crisis and bio waste disposal The answer to both these problems may be provided by our planet's smallest creatures : bacteria. 'Microbial Fuel Cell' (MFC) can help convert bio-waste into electricity

Microbial Fuel Cell:

Microbial Fuel cell is bio-electrochemical fuel cell where the anode reaction is controlled by microorganisms. 'Anode respiratory bacteria' have the ability to convert bio-waste to electrons.

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Components Of MFC
Anode compartment where fuel is oxidized by bacteria which generates free electrons and H30+ A membrane that separates Anode and Cathode and allows flow of H3O+ An external circuit helps transfer of electrons from anode to cathode Johnathan Rieco's two chamber MFC.

Working Principle of MFC

When bacteria are placed in the anode chamber of a speciallydesigned fuel cell that is free of oxygen, they attach to an electrode. Because they do not have oxygen, they must transfer the electrons that they obtain from consumption (oxidation) of their food somewhere else than to oxygen-- they transfer them to the electrode. In a MFC these electrons therefore go to the anode, while the counter electrode (the cathode) is exposed to oxygen. At the cathode the electrons, oxygen and protons combine to form only water. The two electrodes are at different potentials (about 0.5 V)

Working Diagram of MFC

Anode Reaction: C12H22O11 + 13H2O ---> 12CO2 + 48H+ + 48e-

Cathode Reaction:
4H+ + O2 + 4e- 2H2O

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Power Densities Available:

Power densities as high as 1.55 kW/m3 have been produced using very small (2.5 mL) air-cathode MFCs An even higher power density of 2.15 kW/m3 was generated using an even smaller 0.335-mL MFC with a membrane and a ferricyanide solution, by using a disproportionately sized cathode surface area of 1,920 m2/m3 (16 times the area of the anode)

http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/logan/journal_publications.htm

Scope of improvement:
The great advantage of the microbial fuel cell is the direct conversion of organic waste into electricity. In the future, MFCs may be linked to municipal waste streams or sources of agricultural and animal waste, providing a sustainable system for waste treatment and energy production. MFCs are far from making a industrial debut soon. Better research can definitely speedup this process.

Prototype