Design and Improvement of Microbial Fuel Cell

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

This research aims to design a microbial fuel cell and enhance the amount of generated electricity using recycled materials and wastewater. The researcher conducted this study to help address the increasing demand for electrical energy, allow the people in the remote areas to have access to electricity, and solve problems involving treatment and disposal of wastewater.

METHODS

To determine the effect of the number of carbon rods used in the cathode and anode on the amount of electricity generated, R1 (1rod), R2(2rods), R3(3rods) and R4(4rods) were prepared. All set-ups have the same sizes of the bottle and filled with the same amount of distilled and wastewater (700ml) but differ in a number of rods. To know the effect of volume of water used on the power output of the cell, set-ups have the same number of rods (2) but have differences in terms of the amount of clean and wastewater (V400, V700, V1000, and V1400). Lastly, to know the effect of the presence of the plant in the anode on the power output of the cell, two set-ups were created. NP served as the control group. All set-ups were the same except NP(no plant). The voltage and current were acquired every minute in each set-up for the first one hour of the first day. During the second day, measurements were taken within 10 mins. In the succeeding days, measurements were taken every 30 minutes.

RESULTS

In terms of the number of rods, results showed that R2 (2rods) yielded the highest voltage, current, and power of 0.952V, 0.163A and 0.154W, respectively. Regarding the amount of water, V1000 (1000ml) had the highest recorded average voltage of 1.004V while V1400 (1400ml) yielded the highest current of 0.380A and power of 0.322W. However, considering the presence of plants, results revealed that P2 (set-up 2 with plant) had the highest power output of 0.291W.

DISCUSSIONS

Results based on ANOVA showed that there is a significant difference between V400, V700, V1000 and V1400 in terms of voltage, current, and power. The findings implied that increasing the amount of wastewater also increases the amount of electricity generated. Lastly, P1, P2, and NP were prepared to determine the effect of a plant on electricity generation. This study confirms that wastewater energies can be converted into electrical container proven that it can light up a bulb. Increasing water level affects the amount of electric current. Moreover, it is better and practical to use two carbon rods and the usage of the plant can increase the presence of current and power.