Adriel Phillip Luna, Franz Kevin B. Manalo, Emmanuel A. Florido

Key Engineering Materials • 2018

This study was conducted to design and implement microbial fuel cells (MFC) using graphite and carbon paste electrode to harness electricity from sewage water. The effect of the number of anodic graphite electrodes and concentration of zinc acetate on the voltage output was investigated. One-way ANOVA at 5% level of significance showed that there is no significant difference between the number of graphite electrodes and the voltage output of the MFC. The zinc acetate concentrations used were 0.005M, 0.01N, 0.02M, and 0.04M. Result showed that there was no significant difference using the 0.005M, 0.01M, and 0.04M zinc acetate concentration. The Tukey simultaneous comparison revealed that 0.02M MFC exhibited a significant difference in the voltage output compared to the other concentrations. The study showed that carbon paste electrodes can be utilized in MFC as an alternative to other electrodes that are commonly used.

Pimprapa Chaijak

Transdisciplinary Journal of Engineering & Science • 2023

The efficient removal of toxic chemicals from wastewater using effective sorbents has gained significant attention in recent years. In this study, a starch/biochar composite was synthesized from rice straw to achieve the removal of Pb(II) from wastewater. The highest performing starch/biochar composite was then utilized as a microbial fuel cell electrode for generating electricity in synthetic seawater contaminated with Pb(II) and petroleum hydrocarbons. Results showed that the maximal power density and current density were 2.18±0.20 W/m3 and 8.33±0.50 A/m3, respectively, and that the composite achieved removal rates of 95.10±1.50% for Pb(II) and 55.10±2.20% for petroleum hydrocarbons. These findings suggest that the starch/biochar composite can serve as an effective sorbent for remediating environmental contamination, while also having potential for use in sustainable energy generation.

Hoang-Uyen-Dung Nguyen, Dang-Trang Nguyen, Kozo Taguchi

Energies • 2021

Soil microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are a promising cost-effective power source for on-demand electricity generation applications. So far, reported SMFC configurations are usually bulky and hard to setup. In this study, a low-cost portable plugged-type SMFC (PSMFC) was designed and fabricated for on-demand micropower generation. The PSMFC can be activated just by plugging into natural wet soil, which is easy to access in the natural condition. The PSMFC uses carbon-based electrodes for cost-effectiveness. After setting the PSMFC into the soil to activate, it started to produce electricity after 1 h and reached the power density of 7.3 mW/m2 after 48 h. The proposed PSMFC can potentially generate electricity for remote sensors or soil sensing systems.

Sayed Abdullah Sadat, Kibaek Kim

• 2021

<div>Alternating current optimal power flow (ACOPF) problems are nonconvex and nonlinear optimization problems. Utilities and independent service operators (ISO) require ACOPF to be solved in almost real time. Interior point methods (IPMs) are one of the powerful methods for solving large-scale nonlinear optimization problems and are a suitable approach for solving ACOPF with large-scale real-world transmission networks. Moreover, the choice of the formulation is as important as choosing the algorithm for solving an ACOPF problem. In this paper, different ACOPF formulations with various linear solvers and the impact of employing box constraints are evaluated for computational viability and best performance when using IPMs. Different optimization structures are used in these formulations to model the ACOPF problem representing a range of sparsity. The numerical experiments suggest that the least sparse ACOPF formulations with polar voltages yield the best computational results. Additionally, nodal injected models and current-based branch flow models are improved by enforcing box constraints. A wide range of test cases, ranging from 500-bus systems to 9591-bus systems, are used to verify the test results.</div>

Carlos Augusto Berlitz, Andrea Pietrelli, Fabien Mieyeville et al.

Energies • 2023

The simplest DC/DC converter for supplying an Internet-of-Things device is definitely a switched-capacitor converter. The voltage from a mere 1.2 V battery may be stepped up to 2 V. A quite large operating frequency is required in order to reach the smallest possible output impedance value of the DC/DC converter. The overall efficiency is then limited even more so if the power area density of the system should be large. The article details how a microbial fuel cell may substitute one capacitor in the switched-capacitor converter, achieving a better efficiency at a much lower operating frequency. In that perspective, the microbial fuel cell acts as a kind of battery range extender. Some limitations exist that are discussed. A simple converter is experimentally evaluated to support the discussion. Substituting a microbial fuel cell inside a 100 μW switched-capacitor converter compensates for losses in the order of 5% of efficiency. Moreover, the microbial fuel cell extends the lifespan of the battery, as 1.6 V output voltage is still possible when the battery voltage drops to 0.8 V. More than 94% efficiency is measured for a range of output power between 100 μW and 1 mW, which is sufficient to address a lot of frugal IoT applications.

Mhamed Hariti, Radia Chemlal, Madani Drouiche et al.

Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy • 2021

Abstract The degradation of organic matter in marine sediments could be taken advantage of to produce electricity by using a sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) inspired system. A single solid phase microbial fuel cell (SPMFC) in which orange peel wastes were supplemented as a carbon source mixed to marine sediments produced a power of 0.33 mW and a voltage of 0.7 V. By stacking multiple SPMFCs powers of 2.08 mW were generated for a voltage of 4.6 V. The use of dewatered sludge to inoculate the marine sediment improved the SPMFCs' performance. The removal of organic matter in the SPMFC system under closed circuit conditions was very interesting, removal rates were 19%–40% from readily oxidizable organic matter,15 to 35% for loss on ignition and 22%–55% for total organic carbon, indicating the possibility of using these systems to treat solid organic wastes and produce electricity at the same time.

Riccardo Alemanno, Pierluigi Rossi, Danilo Monarca et al.

Scientific Reports • 2025

Abstract Performance analyses of mechanised vineyard activities require a reliable source of information that allows proper sizing of the tractor fleet according to field requirements and an assessment of the operating costs generated by them. To achieve that, however, a large amount of data regarding the power required by machinery and their field capacity, together with fuel consumption per hour and per hectare, is needed. This research, based on CAN-bus raw data collected from narrow tractors of 75 kW through a farming management information system (FMIS) system and then processed through a Python package called Vineyardutils created by the authors resulted in a dataset that summarises 374 labelled mechanised operations over a total of 717 working hours. The summary of each operation specifies its type, duration, idle time, speed and engine parameters such as temperature, engine speed, and torque; in addition, the dataset also includes the terrain slope, fuel consumption and size of the working area. As a result, the lowest values of fuel consumption per hour and per area have been estimated for activities such as fertilisation (4.95 ± 1.20 l/h, 3.73 ± 1.48 l/ha), whereas the highest values belong to harvest operations (14.70 ± 3.39 l/h, 11.69 ± 4.68 l/ha); regarding field capacity, values range from 0.54 ha/h for leaf removal to 4.46 ha/h for multirow crop protection. Furthermore, correlations have been found regarding environmental temperature and requested power, with evidence for most of the activities. Future developments can include different tractor engine setups and additional field data.

Lin Su, Xianpeng Fan, Tao Yin et al.

RSC Advances • 2014

With pretreatment via photocatalysis, the output power density of MFC increased and more X-3B was removed.

Kundan Kumar, Ling Ding, Haiyan Zhao et al.

Processes • 2023

The rise in population, urbanization, and industrial developments have led to a substantial increase in waste generation and energy demand, posing significant challenges for waste management as well as energy conservation and production. Bioenergy conversions have been merged as advanced, sustainable, and integrated solutions for these issues, encompassing energy generation and waste upcycling of different types of organic waste. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and agricultural residues (AR) are two main resources for bioenergy conversions. Bioenergy production involves feedstock deconstruction and the conversion of platform chemicals to energy products. This review provides a detailed overview of waste sources, biofuel, and bioelectricity production from fermentation and microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology, and their economic and environmental perspectives. Fermentation plays a critical role in liquid biofuel production, while MFCs demonstrate promising potential for simultaneous production of electricity and hydrogen. Fermentation and MFCs hold a significant potential to be integrated into a single pipeline, enabling the conversion of organic matter, including a variety of waste material and effluent, into diverse forms of bioenergy via microbial cultures under mild conditions. Furthermore, MFCs are deemed a promising technology for pollutant remediation, reducing COD levels while producing bioenergy. Importantly, the consolidated fermentation–MFC system is projected to produce approximately 7.17 trillion L of bioethanol and 6.12 × 104 MW/m2 of bioelectricity from MSW and AR annually, contributing over USD 465 billion to the global energy market. Such an integrated system has the potential to initiate a circular economy, foster waste reduction, and improve waste management practices. This advancement could play a crucial role in promoting sustainability across the environmental and energy sectors.

Donald J. Leo

Adaptive Structures and Material Systems • 1999

Abstract The performance of a fuel cell-powered piezoceramic actuator is investigated analytically and experimentally. Fuel cells are electrochemical engines that are comparable to batteries in specific energy density and can be instantly ‘recharged’ with the addition of fuel. This study focuses on the use of a methanol-powered alkaline fuel cell as a DC power source for a piezoceramic actuator exciting a thin beam. The fuel cell consists of a non precious metal cathode, a platinum anode, and a potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte. The performance of the fuel cell is investigated by determining the voltage and power output as a function of the load current. A peak power of 30 mW is obtained with a 1M KOH electrolyte and 47 mW is obtained with a 4M concentration. A power analysis of constant-amplitude piezoceramic actuator demonstrates that low-power, efficient actuation is achieved by driving the actuator near an antiresonance of the coupled electromechanical systems. The antiresonance frequencies are determined from an admittance analysis of the coupled actuator and structure. Experimental results demonstrate that the power required for actuation in the kilohertz range is reduced from 4.5 to 1 mW by exciting the actuator at a known antiresonance, thus reducing the load on the fuel cell and increasing the effective lifetime of the actuator.

Stephen E. Zitney, Michael T. Prinkey, Mehrdad Shahnam et al.

2nd International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology • 2003

A high-temperature auxiliary power unit (APU) based on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology is analyzed in this study using coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and process simulation. The tightly integrated process flowsheet consists of a reformer, desulfurizer, SOFC stack, combustor, and various heat exchange and rotating equipment items. A detailed three-dimensional CFD model is used to represent the cross-flow, planar SOFC. Process simulations are used to calculate the overall material and energy balances. Coupled CFD and process simulations are performed over a range of fuel cell currents to generate a voltage current curve and analyze the effect of current on fuel utilization, power density, and overall system efficiency. The fuel cell APU system considered here generated 4.3 kW of power and yielded a maximum fuel-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 45.4% at a current of 18 amperes. Integrated CFD and process simulations provide a better understanding of the fluid mechanics that drive overall performance and efficiency of fuel cell systems. In addition, the analysis of the fuel cell using CFD is not done in isolation but within the context of the whole APU process.

Haixia Du, Jiangyang Guo, Yizhen Xu et al.

Water Science and Technology • 2018

Abstract The effects of mixed feeding of boiled potato and waste activated sludge (WAS) on the performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) in treating solid potato waste were investigated. The coulombic efficiency (CE) of four MFCs fed with potato cubes containing 0, 48.7, 67.3 and 85.6% of boiled potato was 53.5, 70.5, 92.7 and 71.1%, respectively, indicating enhanced electricity generation and the existence of an optimum mixing ratio. The hydrolysis rate estimated using a first-order sequential hydrolysis model increased from 0.061 to 0.191 day−1, leading to shortening of the startup time for current density reaching its maximum from 25 to 5 days. The final chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal reached 85%. The CE of seven MFCs, fed with raw potato alone, sterilized/unsterilized WAS alone, and four mixed samples of raw potato with sterilized WAS at ratios of 2:1 and 4:1 and unsterilized WAS at 2:1 and 4:1, was found to be 6.1, 43.6, 0.3, 31.0, 16.5, 0.9 and 31.1%, respectively. The hydrolysis rate increased from 0.056 to 0.089 day−1, and the final COD removal changed from 39.5 to 89.6% following the order: potato alone > mixture of potato & WAS > sterilized WAS alone > unsterilized WAS alone.

Zachary Stoll, Jan Dolfing, Pei Xu

Water • 2018

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have recently achieved energy-positive wastewater treatment at pilot scale. Despite these achievements, there is still a limited understanding as to whether all wastewaters contain sufficient amounts of energy and, if so, whether MFCs can capture a sufficient amount of energy to offset electrical energy requirements in the wastewater treatment process. Currently, there are no tools or methods available that can determine whether an MFC can be energy-neutral a priori. To address this, we derived a simple relationship by setting the electrical energy requirements of a wastewater treatment facility equal to the net energy output of the MFC, such that the resulting expression describes the minimum chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal needed to achieve energy-neutral treatment. The resulting equation is simply a function of electrical energy requirements, Coulombic Efficiency, and cell voltage. This work provides the first ever quantitative method for determining if the MFCs are feasible to achieve energy-neutral treatment for a given wastewater and what level of performance is needed.

S. Obara, K. Kudo

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology • 2005

Improvements in efficiency of a fuel-cell-powered vehicle have been studied using water electrolysis as the energy storage mechanism. Three methods are proposed for this purpose: 1. The reformer and fuel cell are divided into two or more units, and the maximum output of each unit is set to be small, which reduces the partial load operation, 2. all the fuel cell units are operated above the low efficiency partial load condition and excess electricity is supplied to another fuel cell unit to generate hydrogen and oxygen by water electrolysis, and these gases are compressed and stored, and arbitrary fuel cell units are supplied and they generate electricity, 3. deceleration periods perform water electrolysis of the fuel cell units using the electric power generated by the drive motor, and both gases are compressed and they store in each cylinder. The LA4 cycle (EPA urban dynamometer schedule) was introduced for the vehicle operation. The energy saving effects of the abovementioned methods were studied and were shown to increase the energy efficiency by 1.23 to 1.72 times compared to that for the conventional method.

Nazlee Faisal Ghazali, Nik Azmi Nik Mahmood, Noor Fadzilah Abu Bakar et al.

Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences • 2019

Microbial fuel cell has been considered a new emerging technology for renewable and sustainable electricity production. The energy can be extracted from organic waste materials which time independently increase in mass. In the present study, it was demonstrated that lignocellulosic material such as empty fruit bunch (EFB) can be used to produce electricity. Clostridium cellulolyticum and Bacilli E1 were used to activate EFB degradation and electricity generation respectively. It was also demonstrated that the present EFB based MFC was affected in terms of power produced with much higher power was obtained at 37.5 ℃ with power value of 825 ± 3.08 mW/m2 compared to 25 and 50 ℃, which produced 756 ± 1.14 mW/m2 and 345 ± 1.78 mW/m2. At elevated temperature (50 ℃) showed decrease of power density value compared to lower temperature operated MFC, which is believed to be microbial metabolism dependent

Kevin L. Joiner, Gabriel L. Tukeman, Anna Y. Obraztsova et al.

RSC Advances • 2019

BMFC power output is correlated with costal sediment parameters to predict BMFC performance in the natural environment.

Armande Capitaine, Gael Pillonnet, Bruno Allard

Journal of Low Power Electronics • 2019

Benthic microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising alternatives to conventional batteries for powering underwater low-power sensors. Regarding performances (10's μ W at 100's mV for cm 2 -scale electrodes), an electrical interface is required to maximize the harvested energy and boost the voltage. Because the MFCs electrical behavior fluctuates, it is common to refer to maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Using a sub-mW flyback converter, this paper compares the benefit of different MPPT strategies: either by maximizing the energy at the converter input or at the converter output, or by fixing the MFC operating point at its nominal maximum power point. A practical flyback has been validated and experimentally tested for these MPPT options showing a gain in efficiency in certain configurations. The results allow determining a power budget for MPPT controllers that should not exceed this gain. Eventually, considering typical MFC fluctuations, avoiding any MPPT controller by fixing the converter operating parameters may offer better performances for sub-mW harvesters.

Tony M. Thampan, Mark A. Govoni, John T. Clark

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology • 2013

The increasing use of unattended sensors by the Information, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance community requires the development of higher power and energy density sources to provide increased capabilities and operation time while minimizing size and weight. Among the emerging power sources, fuel cell (FC) systems potentially offer an improved alternative to existing solutions. The Communications and Electronics Research and Development and Engineering Center/Command, Power & Integration Directorate/Army Power Division's Power Sources branch has been evaluating fuel cells to meet tactical power military applications. Testing of methanol based FC systems indicates 50% weight savings over a secondary Li-ion rechargeable system at 200 W h, and 30% weight savings over a primary Li battery at 600 W h. However, significant technical barriers to fuel cell based power sources for sensor deployment exist, including requirements for additional size and weight reduction to meet portable sensor design requirements. Additionally, testing of FC systems demonstrate the importance of appropriate battery hybridization to maintain load following as well as increasing system power density. A comparison of a Reformed Methanol FC system and a Direct Methanol FC system was also completed, and results for the system size, weight, and fuel consumption are similar for both technologies. To examine the benefits of larger power fuel cells appropriate for stationary unattended sensor use, a comparison of power and weight available from a solar/battery hybrid system versus a solar/battery/RMFC hybrid system was also completed. Although the solar/battery hybrid system's size and weight are larger than the hybrid system with an FC unit, 14 kg versus 8 kg, respectively, there is significant logistic burden when utilizing a FC system due to its methanol refueling requirement.

K R S Pamintuan, K M Sanchez

IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering • 2019

Abstract Plant-microbial fuel cells (PMFCs) are an interesting renewable energy technology that has the potential to generate clean electricity without competing with agriculture for land space. In this study, the electricity generation potential of mung beans ( Vigna radiata ) in a PMFC set-up with different electrode materials was explored. Three types of set-ups were prepared with five replicates each: PMFCs with stainless steel electrodes, PMFCs with graphite electrodes, and control pots without electrodes. This experimental set-up allowed for the evaluation of the better electrode material, and whether the PMFC environment harms or benefits the plants. The voltage gathered suggests that the potential difference generated in the PMFCs with differing types of electrodes were statistically the same (α = 0.05). The same can be said for power and power density, although the system with stainless steel electrodes generated more power towards the end of the experiment. It was also evident that PMFCs with stainless steel electrodes experienced prolonged time lags due to the reduced biocompatibility of stainless steel. Polarization studies showed that a single PMFC is capable of generating power densities of 0.35 mW/m 2 and 0.12 mW/m 2 for stainless steel and graphite systems, respectively. The increased power density of PMFCs with stainless steel indicate the lowering of internal resistance brought by the stainless steel. Plants in the PMFCs set-ups were seen to grow faster, taller, and have higher pod output than those in the control set-up. These results indicate that the PMFC technology can be implemented in agricultural land for the continuous generation of passive electricity while growing food crops, eliminating the competition between energy generation and agriculture.

Young Eun Song, Hitesh C. Boghani, Hong Suck Kim et al.

Energy Technology • 2016

Abstract A logic‐based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and LabVIEW interface for digitally controlled variable resistive load were developed and applied to a continuously operating flat‐plate microbial fuel cell (FPM). The interaction between the designed MPPT algorithm and electrochemically active microbial performance on the electrode was demonstrated to track the maximal performance of FPM system. MPPT could dynamically derive the optimal performance from varied operating conditions of FPMs such as organic concentration, flow rate, and sampling interval, and produce a maximum power density of 88.0 W m −3 . The results provide essential information to build an automatic control strategy to achieve the maximum performance from field scale microbial fuel cells for applications to sustainable bioenergy recovery from various biomass feedstocks.

Marco Gambini, Michela Vellini

ASME 2007 Power Conference • 2006

In this paper two options for H2 production, by means of fossil fuels, are presented and their performances are evaluated when they are integrated with advanced H2/air cycles. In this investigation two different schemes have been analyzed: an advanced combined cycle power plant (CC) and a new advanced mixed cycle power plant (AMC). The two methods for producing H2 are as follows: • partial oxidation of methane; • gasification of coal. These hydrogen production plants require material and energetic integrations with the power section and the best interconnections must be investigated in order to obtain good overall performance. With reference to thermodynamic and economic performance, significant comparisons have been made between the above mentioned reference plants. An efficiency decrease and an increase in the cost of electricity have been obtained when power plants are equipped with a fossil fuel decarbonization section. The main results of the performed investigation are quite variable among the different H2 production technologies here considered: the efficiency decreases in a range of 5.5 percentage points to nearly 10 for the partial oxidation of the natural gas and in a range of 6.2–6.4 percentage points for the coal gasification. The electricity production cost increases in a range of about 33–37% for the first option and in a range of about 24–32% for the second one. The clean use of coal seems to have very good potentiality because, in comparison with natural gas decarbonisation, it allows lower energy penalizations (about 6 percentage points) and lower economic increases (about 24% for the CC).

David Tricker, Andrew Egger, David Krus et al.

SAE International Journal of Advances and Current Practices in Mobility • 2020

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Internal combustion engines have been developed for over one hundred and twenty years and are a very mature technology. Over this time, significant improvements in power density and brake thermal efficiency have been realized from improvements in design, processing and material properties. Huge advances in computer simulation capability over the past thirty years have enabled the former two categories to be explored and exploited very thoroughly, leaving materials specifications as the fundamental key to unlocking further efficiency gains. This paper summarizes the design advantages of a range of alternative materials developed for piston, ring connecting rod and bushing applications. A Ford Ecoboost 2.3l RS engine was selected as a baseline engine and the reciprocating parts were re-designed to take advantage of the improved characteristics of these materials. Reciprocating mass, mechanical efficiency and crevice volume savings have been demonstrated from the re-designed components: piston, pin, ring, connecting rod and bushing. A dynamometer test program was devised to evaluate the net improvements in engine operating efficiency from the modified engine, based on a series of steady-state reference points comparing the baseline OEM and modified engines for future engine testing.</div></div>

Deke Victoria Adegunloye, Damilola Bukunmi Olusegun-Awosika, Peace Ifeoma Odjegba

World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews • 2023

Production potential of cow dung for the generation of electricity was investigated using microbial fuel cell (MFC). Cow dung was collected from FUTA farm and Ilesha Garage farm in Akure. Voltage and current was measured per day for 21 days and the electrode used for the set up are carbon-carbon and carbon-aluminium electrode. Proximate, physico-chemical and mineral composition were determined using standard methods. Isolation and identification of microorganisms present in the cow dung were determined before and after generation of voltage and current using microbiological techniques. The microorganisms isolated were Providencia alcalifaciens, P. rettgeri, P. stuartti, Escherichia coli, E. fergusonii, Morganella morganii, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, S. aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Fusarium solani, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Mucor mucedo. The highest voltage 0.737±0 mV and electric current 1.265±0 mA were generated from FUTA cow dung. The pH ranged between 7.3 to 9.9 and the temperature ranged between 25 ˚C to 33 ˚C during generation of voltage and current. This study has shown that cow dung is a potential substrate for generation of electric current using fabricated double chamber MFC.

Simeng Li, Gang Chen

Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy • 2017

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a novel technology for landfill leachate treatment with simultaneous electric power generation. In recent years, more and more modern landfills are operating as bioreactors to shorten the time required for landfill stabilization and improve the leachate quality. For landfills to operate as biofilters, leachate is recirculated back to the landfill, during which time the organics of the leachate can be decomposed. Continuous recirculation typically results in evolving leachate quality, which chronologically corresponds to evolution stages such as hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, methanogenesis, and maturation. In this research, variable power generation (160 to 230 mW m ˗2 ) by MFC was observed when leachate of various evolutionary stages was used as the feed. The power density followed a Monod-type kinetic model with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) equivalent of the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) ( p < 0.001). The coulombic efficiency decreased from 20% to 14% as the leachate evolved towards maturation. The maximum power density linearly decreased with the increase of internal resistance, resulting from the change of the conductivity of the solution. The decreased conductivity boosted the internal resistance and consequently limited the power generation. COD removal as high as 90% could be achieved with leachate extracted from appropriate evolutionary stages, with a maximum energy yield of 0.9 kWh m ˗3 of leachate. This study demonstrated the importance of the evolving leachate quality in different evolutionary stages for the performance of leachate-fed MFCs. The leachate extracted from acidogenesis and acetogenesis were optimal for both COD reduction and energy production in MFCs.

Yuan Yan, Yajun Wang, Tianjing Chen et al.

Applied Sciences • 2023

Antibiotics are refractory pollutants that have been widely found in various environmental media such as soil and surface water. Existing sewage treatments perform poorly at preventing antibiotics in urban sewage from polluting natural environments. In this study, we designed a bioelectrically enhanced bioretention cell system (bioretention cell-microbial fuel cell, BRC-MFC) that utilizes the unique structure of the BRC system to improve the removal of sewage antibiotics. This new system can efficiently remove antibiotics by using a synergy of plant absorption, filler adsorption, filler filtration and microbial degradation. To study the influences of multiple-antibiotics stress on the decontamination performance of BRC-MFC, ofloxacin (OFLX) and tetracycline (TC) were selected as target antibiotics, and five BRC-MFCs were built to treat sewage containing antibiotics of different concentrations. The concentrations of pollutant in the influent and effluent were measured and the pollutant removal performance of BRC-MFC was studied. The diversity of rhizosphere microorganisms and the abundance of denitrifying functional genes were analyzed. Experimental results showed that over 90% of OFLX and TC in each BRC-MFC were removed, with the removal rates positively correlating with the concentration of antibiotics. In addition, the removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in BRC-MFC were both over 90%, while the removal rate of total nitrogen (TN) was around 70%. Meanwhile, antibiotics could significantly improve the removal of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N, p < 0.01). The microbial richness decreased, and we found that combined antibiotic stress on microorganisms was stronger than single antibiotic stress. The abundance of denitrifying functional genes was reduced by antibiotic stress. The results of this study provide reference values for other projects focusing on removing various antibiotics from domestic sewage using BRC-MFC.

Shamsuddeen Jumande Mohammad, Aliyu Ishaq

Research Square • 2024

Abstract This research presents an innovative blend of feature selection and sensitivity analysis techniques, which is an essential yet overlooked aspect in the study of MFCs. The study compared predictive models utilizing various machine learning algorithms to assess the impact of time, dosage, pH and temperature on ammonium nitrogen concentration (NH 4 -N) to predict the power density (PD) output of microbial fuel cells using leachate as a substrate for treatment. Evaluation of six machine learning models demonstrates varying levels of predictive accuracy. CatBoost (R2:0.9969, MSE: 48.8430, RMSE:6.9888) emerges as the most accurate model, followed closely by XGBoost (R2:0.9917, MSE:130.1668, RMSE:11.4091) and Random Forest (R2:0.9830, MSE:267.0929, RMSE:16.3430). Time series plots illustrate the performance of different models in predicting PD over a period, indicating good alignment with observed data. Comparison of Mean Squared Error (MSE) highlights significant variations in prediction accuracy, with CatBoost demonstrating the greatest enhancement and precision. The study directly tackles the deficiencies in existing MFC predictive modeling by incorporating the CatBoost algorithm, which provides enhanced accuracy and a deeper understanding of the nonlinear connections between environmental variables and power density.

Shuai Zhang, Boyan Xu, Jinhui Zhao et al.

Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy • 2025

Abstract Constructed wetland‐microbial fuel cell (CW‐MFC) offers a dual benefit of wastewater treatment and energy recovery from wastewater to generate electricity. The optimization and application of this electricity have garnered significant attention in recent years. In this study, we utilized the electricity generated by CW‐MFCs to power a photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) system designed to enhance the degradation of refractory wastewater contaminants. We investigated the efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) wastewater degradation using a CW‐MFC coupled PEC system under varying bias voltages supplied by the CW‐MFC. The results demonstrated that the CW‐MFC‐PEC coupled system exhibited superior degradation efficiency for Rhodamine B under a bias voltage of 0.6 V. Compared to TiO 2 adsorption, electrocatalysis (EC), UV photodegradation, and UV‐TiO 2 photocatalysis (PC), the degradation rate of the CW‐MFC‐PEC coupled system increased by 93.29 ± 1.6%, 89.41 ± 1.49%, 59.34 ± 0.06%, and 16.4 ± 2.46%, respectively. Further investigation by free radical capture experiments verified that activated substances including hydroxyl radical (•OH) play a crucial role in the catalytic degradation process. This study demonstrates that the electricity generated by CW‐MFC can be used for photoelectrocatalysis to improve the efficacy of wastewater treatment, presenting a novel method for treating highly concentrated organic wastewater and refractory wastewater simultaneously.

Yu-Kai Chen, Min-Min Wu, Chung-En Hsiao et al.

Processes • 2023

This paper proposes a high-efficiency and compact fuel cell–battery hybrid power system without DC/DC converters. Generally, fuel cells supply power to charge lithium batteries or loads using DC/DC converters. The disadvantages of a DC/DC converter are its complex design, poor efficiency, and large volume. Therefore, improvements in the volume, weight, and efficiency are the main objectives of the proposed topology, which is suitable for stable operation in power equipment. This paper proposes a novel topology without DC/DC converters for a fuel cell–battery hybrid forklift system and analyzes, discusses, and verifies it with experimental measurements. Additionally, the proposed topology uses an average charging method to charge the Li-ion battery. The dynamic response of fuel cells is slower than that of Li-ion batteries. By properly configuring the voltages of a fuel cell and a lithium battery, we propose a hybrid system that can maintain a stable output and high efficiency in different operating modes without DC/DC converters. Detailed efficiency calculations and comparisons reveal that the method proposed in this paper achieves an efficiency increase of 5.36% compared with traditional approaches, while maintaining a set charging current. The proposed topology and charging method are verified with experiments on a 10 kW fuel cell–battery system, and the results indicate that the proposed method without DC/DC converters is more suitable for hybrid applications than traditional methods. The proposed system achieves optimal efficiency of 98.27%, surpassing the performance of a traditional hybrid system employing regulated DC/DC converters. Additionally, the system incorporates a mechanism to achieve constant current control, ensuring precise control over the desired charging current. The error in the desired charging current, determined through the average charging method, is 5%.

Lyne Woodward, Boris Tartakovsky

The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering • 2018

Abstract Practical implementation of microbial fuel cell (MFC)‐based power sources requires stable MFC performance regardless of the variations in the composition and quantity of a carbon source (fuel). This study describes a simple power management circuit (PMC) utilizing low and high voltage boundaries for intermittent MFC connection and disconnection to the electrical load. The PMC performance is demonstrated during MFC operation at carbon source‐replete and carbon source‐deplete conditions. In spite of MFC operation at external resistance values significantly below the estimated internal MFC resistance (e.g., 5.5 versus 24.5 Ω, respectively), the proposed PMC optimized MFC performance at all tested influent acetate concentrations, resulting in a volumetric power output of up to 56 mW · L −1 . Furthermore, MFC operation with an up‐converter is tested and approaches for optimizing the voltage boundaries are discussed. The robustness and simplicity of the proposed PMC algorithm allows for its implementation in a standalone microprocessor with ultralow energy consumption, which enables MFC application as an autonomous power source.

Adam Starowicz, Marcin Zieliński, Paulina Rusanowska et al.

Energies • 2023

The conversion of chemical energy contained in organic matter into electricity has become an object of interest for many scientists worldwide. This technology is used in microbial fuel cells (MFC). Apart from generating electrical energy, these cells can be used simultaneously for wastewater treatment. Although the technology is constantly being improved, currently functioning microbial fuel cells cannot provide appropriate output parameters to use on an industrial scale. One of the barriers is so-called extracellular electron transfer, which in turn depends on the electrode type used, its material, shape, and size. According to current literature, carbon, graphite, stainless steel, and ceramics are the most frequently used electrode materials. However, more and more often, scientists are turning to other, unusual materials, the production of which uses the newest technologies, and one of them is graphene. This material is modified in different ways and connected with other materials, and the results of this seem to be very promising. Scientists manage to get a higher level of extracellular electron transfer and, hence, higher output parameters of the whole system. This article describes chosen technologies and attempts made by scientists worldwide to use graphene in MFC and their results.

Yingmin Wang, Ying Han, Weirong Chen et al.

DYNA • 2023

A multi-stack fuel cell hybrid power system (MFCHS) consists of multiple sources with various characteristics. The power distribution between different sources influences the performance of the system, which involves many factors. To distribute the power effectively and enhance the efficiency and fuel economy of a single-stack fuel cell system, this study proposed a hierarchical energy management strategy (EMS) for MFCHS. An MFCHS configuration that included three fuel cell systems and a battery was presented. An MFCHS model that incorporated the effect of altitude was constructed, and an efficiency analysis of the multi-stack fuel cell system (MFCS) was performed. The hierarchical EMS of MFCHS was composed of a bottom control layer and a top management layer. The bottom control layer utilized a coordinated optimal distribution strategy based on the maximum efficiency range of MFCS to realize optimal power allocation between the different fuel cells in MFCS. The top management layer used EMS under multiple operating conditions to realize the effective distribution of the demand power between MFCS and the battery. Results demonstrate that the proposed strategy improves the average efficiency of MFCS by up to 5.2% and 8.9% compared with those of the equal distribution and daisy chain strategies, respectively. The proposed strategy also displays good performance in terms of the hydrogen consumption of MFCS, which saved 1% and 3% hydrogen compared with the equal distribution and daisy chain strategies, respectively. The proposed strategy results in promising improvements in the overall performance of the system. This study provides a good reference for developing EMS for MFCHS. Keywords: Fuel cell, Multi-stack fuel cell hybrid power system, Energy management strategy, Coordinated optimal distribution, Maximum efficiency range

Rajani Saranadgoudar -, Md Mustafa Khan -, Md Umar Serikar - et al.

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research • 2024

The increasing demands of efficient and sustainable energy generation methods from waste products have taken a giant leap in the last century, and especially in the previous two decades. Wastewater treatment has also been a much-researched topic in recent years owing to the exponential increase in effluent-laden wastewater from industries, the agricultural sector and food sector, and its effects on the environment. There have been plenty of wastewater treatment techniques over the years, but most of them lack in terms of cost- effectiveness, durability, and energy recovery rates. Microbial fuel cells can prove to be of great use to tackle both of these issues. As they perform bio electro chemical processes on organic biodegradable compounds to oxidize them to generate power which can be harnessed by various means. This article explains the aim, construction, mechanism, and application of microbial fuel cells; the economic and scientific challenges that they face in the future; and microbial fuel cell (MFC) hybrid systems which make use of MFCs combined with other useful technologies for greater aims and better efficiencies. The maximum BOD5 removal efficiency achieved was 55% with an current production of 0.36 to 3.71mA, voltage generation varied from 0.22 to 2.97V.

Vineela chowdary K R, Baranitharan Ethiraj

ECS Transactions • 2022

The major aim of this study is to compare the power generation of dual microbial fuel cells (MFC) operated with mesophilic conditions and thermophilic conditions using restaurant wastewater. Materials and methods: Restaurant wastewater samples were collected from MFC with thermophilic conditions (N=14) and mesophilic conditions (N=14) operated for 10 days (G Power 80%). Voltage was measured using a multimeter and current, power, and power density was calculated from it for both groups. Results: The power generation was found to be high in MFC operated with thermophilic conditions (642 mW/m 2 ) compared to mesophilic conditions (192 mW/m 2 ). The independent sample T-test was done which showed that the power generation of MFC operated with thermophilic conditions (p < 0.001) found to be significantly higher compared with MFC operated with mesophilic conditions. Conclusion: The study shows that MFC operated with thermophilic conditions are able to achieve higher power generation compared to mesophilic conditions.

Sima Malekmohammadi, Seyed Ahmad Mirbagheri

Biotechnology Progress • 2022

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are among the newest bioelectrical devices that have attracted significant attention because they convert biodegradable organic matter to electricity. MFC design can be improved by understanding and predicting the performance of MFC under different conditions and substrate concentrations. However, few mathematical models have been investigated due to problems caused by the high sensitivity of MFC systems. In this research, a multilayer neural network (NN) was used to predict the generated power of a cell with three inputs (concentration, time, and resistance). Response surface methodology with factors including the number of first layer neurons, number of second layer neurons, training epochs, validation check, and training percentage was used to obtain the optimum structure of the network, and mean squared error (MSE). NN had the minimum MSE when the Number of neurons in the first and second hidden layers, the training epochs, validation check, training percentage were 28, 20, 1000, 100, and 70, respectively. This built network had an excellent ability to predict, and was 98%. According to the results, increasing COD concentration increases generated power and system utilization time. In addition, reducing the external resistance up to 100 Ω can lead to more power obtained.

Sulochana Pradhan, Jarina Joshi

Nepal Journal of Science and Technology • 2022

Much work in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) is necessary in today’s context to meet an environmentfriendly and sustainable technology for alternative energy. A huge depletion in fossil fuel is going on rapidly. There may be high chance of a fuel crisis and global warming shortly. MFC is a promising technology in the field of energy production. MFC is a promising technology in the field of energy production. MFC operates with the degradation of different types of wastes by generating various by-products. Proper design and operation of MFC help to get optimum output. The performance of MFC depends on appropriate electrode materials, substrates, pH and type of microbes grown. In MFC, microbial oxidation of natural wastes occurs at ambient temperature. The generated reaction produces energy.

Jie Gao, Hai Gu, Yuwei Yang et al.

Journal of New Materials for Electrochemical Systems • 2022

One of the promising technologies in the field of clean and renewable energy is the microbial fuel cells, which in addition to generating electrical energy from the metabolism of microorganisms, can also be used to improve the environment in wastewater treatment. In fact, this paper designs an integrated control model that in the presence of uncertainty and unknown parameters can consider the effect of input variables for two-population in a chamber. In addition to maintaining closed loop stability, it has acceptable behavior in terms of time to reach steady state and reduce system error and provide satisfactory performance in terms of output energy. Lyapunov analysis ensures system stability and system control functions are demonstrated by MATLAB / Simulink simulations.

Renuka Saraf, Ayushi Goyal, Divya Jain et al.

Current Green Chemistry • 2025

The concept of bioelectricity has been known for over half a century. Its modern application in the form of a battery or fuel cell utilizing microbes and degradable organic molecules opens up a new domain of energy production in the form of Microbial fuel cells (MFC). This technology not only supports the sustainable development goals by being green and but also facilitates the utilization of a wide range of biosubstrates, leading to coupled applications like wastewater treatment, desalination, etc. The development of viable models of MFC and their possible scale-up for use is a major focus of the researchers as the global energy crisis increases and the search for alternatives widens. The construction, configuration, electrodes, electrolytes, and microorganisms used play a very relevant role in determining the performance, longevity, and utility of MFC. Furthermore, exploration of the underlying biochemical mechanisms and influence of MFC components on it leading to variabilities in coulombic efficiencies and power output are key areas underlying its development. This review attempts to present a cohesive summary of important achievements in the development of MFC research attempted globally.

Tanay Panja, Priyanka Meharia

Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability • 2024

This study aims to enhance Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) reliability for remote environmental monitoring, emphasizing unexplored facets of accurate energy prediction and the integration of renewable energy-powered Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Following comprehensive research, design, and component procurement, an innovative and cost-effective IoT system was developed, leveraging renewable energy from MFCs. Using an Arduino UNO-WiFi, data was collected and showcased on a web page while logged in a Google Firebase database, with an Android app created for intuitive smartphone visualization. Over four months, sensor data was accumulated. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) model, employing Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), precisely forecasted MFC energy production (RMSE: 0.0119 and 0.0113 for trials 1 and 2). Despite the initial energy production surge, a subsequent decline occurred due to organic matter depletion. This prototype represents an affordable and sustainable solution for cloud-based IoT environmental monitoring with AI-driven energy forecasts, embodying innovation in renewable energy applications and sustainable practices.

Maksudur R. Khan, Ripon Bhattacharjee, M. S. A. Amin

International Journal of Engineering & Technology • 2012

Electricity generation from readily biodegradable organic substrates accompanied by decolorization of azo dye was investigated using a Microbial fuel cell (MFC). Biodegradation was the dominant mechanism of the dye removal, and glucose was the optimal substrate for Red Cibacron-2G (RC) decolorization. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the MFC. As compared to traditional anaerobic technology higher decolorization efficiency was achieved by MFC. Effect of initial dye concentration and external resistance on power generation were studied. Polarization experiments were also directed to find the maximum power density. Maximum Power density of 100mW/m2 (1.04A/m2) was recorded at optimum operating conditions.

Jeongjin Yeo, Taeyoung Kim, Jae Kyung Jang et al.

Energies • 2018

Power management systems (PMSs) are essential for the practical use of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology, as they replace the unstable stacking of MFCs with step-up voltage conversion. Maximum-power extraction technology could improve the power output of MFCs; however, owing to the power consumption of the PMS operation, the maximum-power extraction point cannot deliver maximum power to the application load. This study proposes a practical power extraction for single MFCs, which reserves more electrical energy for an application load than conventional maximum power-point tracking (MPPT). When experimentally validated on a real MFC, the proposed method delivered higher output power during a longer PMS operation time than MPPT. The maximum power delivery enables more effective power conditioning of various micro-energy harvesting systems.