Electric current generation by increasing sucrose in papaya waste in microbial fuel cells

The accelerated increase in energy consumption by human activity has generated an increase in the search for new energies that do not pollute the environment, due to this, microbial fuel cells are shown as a promising technology. The objective of this research was to observe the influence on the generation of bioelectricity of sucrose, with different percentages (0%, 5%, 10% and 20%), in papaya waste using microbial fuel cells (MFCs). It was possible to generate voltage and current peaks of 0.955 V and 5.079 mA for the cell with 20% sucrose, which operated at an optimal pH of 4.98 on day fifteen. In the same way, the internal resistance values of all the cells were influenced by the increase in sucrose, showing that the cell without sucrose was 0.1952 ± 0.00214 KΩ and with 20% it was 0.044306 ± 0.0014 KΩ. The maximum power density was 583.09 mW/cm2 at a current density of 407.13 A/cm2 and with a peak voltage of 910.94 mV, while phenolic compounds are the ones with the greatest presence in the FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) absorbance spectrum. We were able to molecularly identify the species Achromobacter xylosoxidans (99.32%), Acinetobacter bereziniae (99.93%) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (100%) present in the anode electrode of the MFCs. This research gives a novel use for sucrose to increase the energy values in a microbial fuel cell, improving the existing ones and generating a novel way of generating electricity that is friendly to the environment.Campus Trujill

Customized multichannel measurement system for microbial fuel cell characterization

This work presents the development of an automatic and customized measuring system employing sigma-delta analog-to-digital converters and transimpedance amplifiers for precise mea- surements of voltage and current signals generated by microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The system can perform multi-step discharge protocols to accurately measure the power output of MFCs, and has been calibrated to ensure high precision and low noise measurements. One of the key features of the proposed measuring system is its ability to conduct long-term measurements with variable time steps. Moreover, it is portable and cost-effective, making it ideal for use in laboratories without sophisti- cated bench instrumentation. The system is expandable, ranging from 2 to 12 channels by adding dual-channel boards, which allows for testing of multiple MFCs simultaneously. The functionality of the system was tested using a six-channel setup, and the results demonstrated its ability to detect and distinguish current signals from different MFCs with varying output characteristics. The power measurements obtained using the system also allow for the determination of the output resistance of the MFCs being tested. Overall, the developed measuring system is a useful tool for characterizing the performance of MFCs, and can be helpful in the optimization and development of sustainable energy production technologies

Sustainable Development and Application of Renewable Chemicals from Biomass and Waste

Advancements in efficient energy sources have played a pivotal role in determining the present world energy structure. Renewable biomass energy has been incorporated in industrial regulations and policies in many European countries. Based on the statistics, more than one-seventh of the total world energy consumption is generated from biomass.The renewable energies movement was prompted by two important factors: a) growing world energy consumption and b) the abundance of generated biomass residues, especially in agriculture. In the case of the first, batteries containing different metals are considered, as is the production of items for human consumption (food, clothing, home comfort, etc.). In the second case, the biomass waste from plants and animals, as byproducts of cultivating and production processes, is the main source of generated waste

Biodegradation Technology of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants

Bioremediation technologies for environments contaminated by organic and inorganic pollutants are a major focus of researchers and scientists worldwide. The chemical control of agricultural pests and advocacy for sustainable agriculture have led to the development of new paradigms in environmental remediation. This book covers recent advances in the bioremediation technology of organic and inorganic pollutants in the environment

MFCs as biosensor, bioreactor and bioremediator

This paper focuses on applications and electrical valorisation of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), a promising energy harvesting technique, suitable as clean power source to supply low power devices in wireless sensor networks (WSN) for environmental and agricultural monitoring. An MFC is a bioreactor that converts energy stored in chemical bonds of organic matter into electrical energy, through a series of reactions catalysed by microorganisms. An MFC can operate as bioreactor, as bioremediator and as biosensor. In the past decade, the evolution of low power electronics has made MFCs technology more attractive, because it has become suitable for low-power devices forming complete systems, such as the nodes of a WSN. Moreover, MFCs gained more interest because they can generate electric power while treating wastes. Unlike other fuel cells, MFCs can continuously generate clean energy at normal temperature and atmospheric pressure without any supplementary maintenance. Additionally, MFC may be used directly as a biosensor to analyse parameters like pH and temperature or arranged in the form of a cluster of devices to be use as a small power plant. A series of test was performed for the electrical valorisation of reactors as well as biosensor issues

Custom measuring instrument dedicated to microbial fuel cell characterization

Microbial fuel cell(MFC) is a rising energy harvesting technology that can be used to supply low power devices for many purposes and applications like Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) for ambient monitoring or precision agriculture. An MFC is a bioreactor that turns the energy stored in chemical bonds of organic compounds into electrical energy. Due to its property, MFC could be useful to many different applications in term of biobattery, bioremediator or biosensor. Efforts are needed to improve MFC with various set up, substrates used and reactor configurations. An original measurer board was developed to allow self-managed long-time measurements for the electrical characterization of MFCs. The custom measuring instrument consent to set up a complete electrical performance analysis of MFC charge and discharge phase. It consents to understand the sensitivity of major parameters that affect MFC behavior, performing the charge and discharge phase or using a wide collection of loads, collecting easily the steady state, pseudo steady state and real time values. The components chosen were a PIC18F4550 and three electromagnetic relays LEG-5 that permit to switch between the three measurement options: discharge phase imposing short-circuit, charge phase imposing open-circuit, and as resistorstat switching resistance values. All the measurement can be managed by the feature of the graphical unit interface, written in C++ code. A precision operational amplifier LMP7721 is used to compare input values and an REF192 to obtain an accurate reference voltage of 2.5V. The board is supplied by +5V provided through USB port. All tests can be timed, or the software can self-manage it. One original advantage is the sensitivity to the measurement state, as resistorstat it can automatically switch load value after the measured value is stabilized