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Microbial Fuel Cell
By- Aditya Aagare
Devanshi Gupta
Indian Institute of Technology
Hyderabad
Need of MFC(Microbial Fuel Cell):
•Two very great issues
are daunting scientists
today-the fuel crisis and
bio waste disposal
• The answer to both
these problems may be
provided by our planet's
smallest creatures :
bacteria.
•'Microbial Fuel Cell'
(MFC) can help convert
bio-waste into electricity
Microbial Fuel Cell:
Microbial Fuel cell is bio-electrochemical fuel cell where the anode
reaction is controlled by microorganisms. 'Anode respiratory
bacteria' have the ability to convert bio-waste to electrons.
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Components Of MFC
•Anode compartment where fuel
is oxidized by bacteria which
generates free electrons and
H30+
•A membrane that separates
Anode and Cathode and allows
flow of H3O+
•An external circuit helps transfer
of electrons from anode to
cathode
Johnathan Rieco's two chamber MFC.
Working Principle of MFC
• When bacteria are placed in the anode chamber of a speciallydesigned fuel cell that is free of oxygen, they attach to an electrode.
• Because they do not have oxygen, they must transfer the
electrons that they obtain from consumption (oxidation) of their food
somewhere else than to oxygen-- they transfer them to the
electrode.
• In a MFC these electrons therefore go to the anode, while the
counter electrode (the cathode) is exposed to oxygen. At the
cathode the electrons, oxygen and protons combine to form only
water. The two electrodes are at different potentials (about 0.5 V)
Working Diagram of MFC
Anode Reaction:
C12H22O11 + 13H2O ---> 12CO2 +
48H+ + 48e-
Cathode Reaction:
4H+ + O2 + 4e-  2H2O
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Power Densities Available:
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•Power densities as high as 1.55 kW/m3 have been produced
using very small (2.5 mL) air-cathode MFCs
•An even higher power density of 2.15 kW/m3 was generated
using an even smaller 0.335-mL MFC with a membrane and
a ferricyanide solution, by using a disproportionately sized
cathode surface area of 1,920 m2/m3 (16 times the area of
the anode)
http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/logan/journal_publications.htm
Scope of improvement:
•The great advantage of the microbial fuel cell is the direct
conversion of organic waste into electricity.
•In the future, MFC’s may be linked to municipal waste
streams or sources of agricultural and animal waste, providing
a sustainable system for waste treatment and energy
production.
•MFCs are far from making a industrial debut soon. Better
research can definitely speedup this process.
Prototype