Microbial fuel cells constructed from the integration of anaerobic and aerobic sanitary landfill site systems

Abstract

The world’s main source of energy now is fossil fuels but the demand for power is increasing. In addition, the burning of fossil fuels produces harmful greenhouse gases and has a significant impact on the environment. The fuel cell system in this study is based on the aerobic and anaerobic integration system are used in most waste disposal methods in Malaysia. It is a system of electrochemistry results from the oxidation of organic matter that transfers electrons to carbon graphite This research is to study the effectiveness of the method generating electricity from micro-fuel cells produced from leachate wastewater and it is also conducted to identify microbial activity using a double chamber system. The food waste obtain is divided into double chambers which is aerobic and anaerobic. Digital readings using a multimeter are performed for ten to thirteen days continuously to obtain the highest reading results for voltage and electric current. The measurement of the highest reading result on the 11th day recorded a reading as high as 146.8 mV at 2000 mV while the current reached 28 μA at 2000 μA. This study has proven that there is the production of electrical sources from the activity of organisms present in food waste using microbial fuel cell systems. The result show that food waste and cattle manure produce the highest voltage and current. This has provided an opportunity to explore alternative ways of generating electricity according to the environment and conditions of each region.