Eric A. Zielke
I am an Environmental Resources Engineering student, and I have had a great amount of interest in microbial fuel cell technology for the last three years while studying at Humboldt State University (HSU). Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are defined as devices that use bacteria to generate electricity from organic matter. During the fall semester of 2005, I obtained a small research grant from HSU to obtain materials needed to fabricate seven single chamber MFCs. That same semester, I obtained a permit from the city of Arcata, CA to obtain sample primary effluent domestic wastewater to use as an inoculant in the MFC. At the HSU facilities, I have investigated: (1) determining the effects of voltage output in comparison to varying fuel cell components, (2) determining the effects of uncertainty associated with the power density modeled as a function of substrate concentration using an empirical Monod-type equation (a variation of the Michaelis-Menten equation), (3) researching large scale applications, (4) calculating second law thermodynamic efficiencies of a MFC, (5) developing and verifying FORTRAN computer code necessary to solve a one dimensional diffusion equation to model oxygen concentration in a single chamber MFC, and (6) developing scanning electron micrographs and transmission electron micrographs of E. coli growing on carbon paper electrode material. During the 2006 fall semester, I researched the use of a two-chamber MFC while I was on exchange at the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez (UPRM). Afterwards, I’ve continued research at Penn State University this 2007 summer on a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.
Ever since I volunteered in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala for a U.S. based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) known as the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) – summer 2006, I became particularly interested in promoting the use of MFC technology in developing nations. I believe that MFC research and development could take place worldwide rather than just in developed and industrial-type nations. As author and administrator of this blog, I hope to invite like-minded professionals and non-professionals alike to post comments on this blog to invoke interest and discussion on the topic of MFC technology and research. Please feel free to post commentary on this blog or just email me: eaz4 at humboldt.edu. For more information of my background and research interests, visit my portfolio URL.
January 28, 2007 at 8:08 am
hello sir
me abhilasha singh mathuria, from India presently working in the area of MFC, and i m owring on isolation of a new microbe for current generation
basically i m a biochemical engineer so facing some problems in electrode designing
can u help me regarding this please
will be very thankful to you
yahhhh ur most welcome for discussion on new microbe isolation their activity enhancement and about bioelectrodes
thanking you
regards
abhilasha
January 29, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Abhilasha,
Thank you for your comment.
As far as electrode design, my experience has only been with carbon cloth and carbon paper as the electrode material. Electrodes can be made of graphite rods, plates or thin disks. In the past, I have simply connected the multimeter leads directly to the carbon paper or carbon cloth when I was testing a double chamber (10mL for each chamber) MFC or a single chamber (20mL) MFC. Overall, I have not been happy with this method. The carbon paper and cloth is generally very fragile and easily rips apart if the leads are not properly secured to a lab rod stand (also a difficult task is securely fastening leads to a lab rod stand). I have seen people weave platinum wire through carbon cloth to be used as a connection terminal would seems to work better (specifically when connecting a resistor). Please note though, I have read in a paper by Dr. Peter Bennetto that copper, iron, zinc and aluminum wire should be avoided since it may dissolve in the biological solution and generate unwanted, or unaccounted for, current values (Biotechnology Education, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 163-168, 1990).
As far as cost, the cathode electrode is the most expensive component. A 10cm by 10cm piece of Toray carbon paper that is catalyzed with Pt (0.35mg/cm2) can cost upwards of 200 USD. Fortunately, I called one manufacturer and talked to them for a while. It turned out they had a scrap piece with dimensions of 6cm by 12cm that they had no use for, so they simply mailed me their scrap material. As with the anode, a catalyst is not needed and Ballard, another manufacturer, will supply a sample piece (20cm by 25cm) piece of their AvCarb line, free of charge. I think the Fuel Cell Store.com will charge 10 USD for this same piece of sample product (http://fuelcellstore.com/).
I hope this helps. Also, what exact microbe are you isolating? Feel free to email me.
_Eric
April 9, 2007 at 1:45 am
Hi
nice blog. nice to meet a like minded person. i am also working in the same field in IIT madras. would like to get more in touch with you as to what you doing these days pertaining to the mfc. I also needed some help. which all companies are interested in this work. I wish to work towards the commercialization of this.. altough i realize that this is still a very far fetched idea..
feel free to mail me..
tushar
January 15, 2008 at 11:56 pm
I’ve start a yahoo group for MFCs. We’ve got thirty members, so its a quorum, but getting more people such as yourself on would be great. Also good if you could tout it on your blog. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/MicrobialFuelCells/
February 3, 2008 at 7:17 am
Hello, my Dear……Tell me , what my photo doing there?….??
http://searchonlinebox.tripod.com
April 20, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Hi Erik,
I’m an undergraduate student on Chemical engineering and microbiology in Bogota, Colombia. For my thesis I wan’t to conduct research on MFC’s and I already have some interesting ideas, specially on how to speed up the biofilm metabolism. I want to use the same single chamber design you did, but unfortunately i don’t have much financing for the proyect (150 bucks at most), so i’m trying to figure out a way to get the electrodes and not get over the budget. How is it that you got the manufacturers to give yo their scap material? Also, since there isn’t anybody in my country who has worked with MFC, any advice on building the cell would be truly appeciated.
Please feel free to e-mail me
Thanks a lot!
Leonor
April 20, 2008 at 3:28 pm
ooops, i just realized i misspelled yor name! sorry for that
August 14, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Hello Eric,
Nice to know that you are working on Microbial Fuel Cells. I am graduate student from California State University,as a part of my thesis work I plan on working on MFC.I wanted to know if MFC are commerically avialble for a lab scale work/do I have to construct them on my own.
Your suggestions will be of great help towards my reserach work.
Thanks.
November 10, 2008 at 9:36 am
sir, i am a chemical engineering student searching on MFC but i have no idea that how much current will produce from how much input waste material.
plz guide me
June 15, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Hey there,
I’m a grade 11 student in Alberta Canada, and I am very interested in what is being done here. I hope to create a small scall version of an MFC, but where can I find carbon cloth? Can you please advise me? Thanks!
August 7, 2009 at 11:34 am
Goodday, i am plsed to ve run into this blog. i ve read some of ur articles esp one on thrmodynamics, it make much sense. i am a phd candidate in nigeria wt intrest area in MFC. intrestingly i am getting positive results. i ve been able to generate an Open circiut voltage of 1.48volts for a double chaber MFC. howver, my major problem is the very high internal resistance (1200 ohms) bcos i using an agar salt brigde. what will u recomend for a seperator, (Nafion is out of it bcos its too espensive). would carbon paper be a sustainable replacement?