Abstract
This research studied the electricity production from organic wastes fermentation by microbial fuel cell by using a single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC). Two sizes (1 L and 10 L) of simple SCMFC were fabricated by using a cylindrical plastic tank which anode compartment and cathode compartment separated by plastic plate with hole and covered with cotton fabric. The anode electrode contacted with organic matter and microorganisms where anaerobic reaction occurred to generate electron and proton. The electrons transferred through an external circuit while the protons diffused through the solution to the cathode electrode for reducing oxygen to water. From the study of the effect of different electrode types (carbon graphite rod, zinc metal, and copper metal) to the electricity generation using the SCMFC size 1 L in fermentation with synthetic sweetness solution (22%Brix) and the effective microorganism (EM) for 36 hrs, it found that the fuel cell which used copper metal as electrode produced electricity increasing over the times and has more efficient than the other electrode types. The study of electricity generation from organic waste fermentation by using the SCMFC size 10 L and using copper metal as electrode, the results showed that the fermentation of pineapple waste produced the current density, potential density, and power density higher than the fermentation of bananas and the fermentation of food garbage with EM. An optimal period of time for the production of electricity from this microbial fuel cell is the first five days of fermentation that the cells has voltage »500 mV, the current density 25.52 mA m-2, potential density 104.69 V m-2 and power density 12.59 mW m-2, and then decline over time five days (120 hrs). Moreover the bio-liquid fertilizer and the residues from the fermentation can be further used in agricultural because of the nutrient content (N, P, K), organic carbon and organic material contents available.
Highlights
The major part of all energy consumed for electrical production in most parts of the world comes from fossil sources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas
The results indicated that the microbial fuel cell which used carbon rods, galvanized sheet metal, and copper sheet metal as electrodes have the current density of the fuel cell of different electrodes equal 5.21 mA m-2, 9.70 mA m-2 and 12.13 mA m-2, respectively
The design of the fuel cell is single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) via the redox reaction. It found that using of a copper metal electrode can generates the current density, potential density, and power density higher than the using of a carbon electrode and a zinc metal electrode
Summary
The major part of all energy consumed for electrical production in most parts of the world comes from fossil sources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. These non-renewable sources will be exhausted in near future. Transformation of these fossil sources to electricity is made via combustion process that causes of green house gases liberation. Electricity generation from the MFC using anaerobic microbes is a recently technology with great potential for alternative green energy generation and environmental friendly. A lot of organic substances are degraded by micro-organisms through anaerobic metabolism liberating electrons and protons in a biochemical cell using anode and cathode separated by ion exchange membrane. The microbes in the anode compartment oxidize organic substances generating electrons
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