Generating Electricity with Wastewater Treatment Plants

With the use of altered graphite a research conducted by Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania on enhancing the efficiency of microbial fuel cells also known as (MFC). The result obtained, displayed the new2 MFC can generate 20 percent higher voltage than usual cells.

Acknowledging the data then over the past 20 years, nearly around three-fourths emission caused by humans is released from burning of fossil fuel. Encouragement for searching for new and sustainable alternative energy resource by researchers is just because of increasing pollution and decreasing fossil energy resources.

One of the fuels researched at KTU laboratories was microbial fuel cells, which has the broad possibilities of usage and are one of the cleanest known energy sources. The powering of MFC’S is done by living microorganism with clean and sustainable features with the power of generating electricity from broad range of organic substrates under natural conditions.

The only technology in, which the electricity developed from oxidation of organic compounds in room temperatures, is a way for producing of microbial fuel. The need to burn anything will be reduced and there is no dependence on sunlight further according to Dr Kristina Kantmnien, researcher at KTU Faculty of Chemical Technology.

The researcher at KTU says that it is a unique technology because of its variety fulfilling application for example wastewater and slime, collection of wastewater treatment plants where bacteria can be used for foof. Significant reduction in the usage of electrical energy for exploitation can be done with the integration of MFC into wastewater, which would also turn the plant into the closed ecosystem. Surplus energy produced can be used somewhere else too.

The efficiency of the research is continuously evolving from 1911 to 2000s with detailed investigation by group of researchers all around the world. The qualities and biocompatibility is been tested by the KTU researchers because of large dependency of microbial fuel cells efficiency. Use of modified graphite felt as an anode by researchers with the development of MFC prototype where they followed the framework of interdisciplinary research project along with use of innovative microbial fuel for sustainable development of bioelectricity.

With the modification of anode allowance for increase in the cell voltage is by 20 percent higher than that of the control MFC with usual anode. Other sources of renewable energy cannot replace MFC technology as it could be beneficial in the small wastewater treatment plants or in remote regions where electrical energy supply is limited.