Abstract: The study was aimed at evaluating the potentials of microbial fuel cells for energy production. The study was carried out within a period of six months. 500mls of domestic kitchen waste water was collected from various locations in Calabar Metropolis, into tightly corked plastic containers and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Microbial fuel cells was designed using plastic containers, graphite electrodes, salt bridge and domestic waste water. Microorganisms from the domestic waste water were identified using standard microbiological techniques. Results from the study showed that a higher mean voltage (1.58v) was recorded by stacked waste water microbial fuel cells (Stacked WWMFC) compared to unstacked waste water microbial fuel cells (WWMFC1 and WWMFC2) that had a mean voltage of 0.50 and 0.59v respectivelyafter 10 days. Microbial cells from the domestic waste water samples were identified as Shigella, Serratia marcescens, Salmonella, Bacillus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus faecalis,Staphylococcus, and Escherichia coli. Among the identified isolates, Salmonella (NA3) had the highest (0.68v) voltage production compared to other isolates. The comparative analysis of voltage density among the fuel cells of both the mixed culture and axenic cultures showed that the stacked microbial fuel cells (stacked WWMFC) had the highest voltage density (0.072) compared to others. However, this study has shown that microbial fuel cells are evolving to become a simpler and more robust technology. Provided the biological understanding increases,the electrochemical technology advances and electrode price decreases, the technology could serve as anew core technology for conversion of waste to electricity in the future.
Keywords: microbial fuel cells, plastic containers, graphite electrodes, energy production.
Title: Potential of Microbial Fuel Cells for Energy Production
Author: Nwosu Chisomaga, Sylvester Peter Antai, Dominic Reuben Tiku
International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Research
ISSN 2348-6988 (online)
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