Analysis of double chambered single and cascaded microbial fuel cells: characterisation study based on the enrichment of fuel

Abstract

Need for green energy, depletion of fossil fuels becomes the immediate requirement for building a clean and sustainable society. Among the various sustainable energy sources, microbial fuel cell is an emerging field with vast history as it converts the naturally available materials or bio-products into electricity with the help of microbes. Hence microbial fuel cell is an energy transducer. The experimental set-up is a double chambered microbial fuel cell with four single units among which two are separate and other two single units are cascaded into one. Cow dung and sheep worm kept in the anodic chamber are used both individually and also in combination. In order to make a complete characterisation study of MFC, additives like vermicompost, curd, etc., are added and they help to promote the growth of bacteria into it. This experimental setup, clearly defines the variation of output voltage and output power for the three different samples chosen with respect to time. Also the characterisation study is made based on the implementation of MFC set up with respect to the fuel enrichment and its performance is analysed.