Hexbyte Glen Cove Rainwater-driven microbial fuel cells for power generation in remote areas

Hexbyte Glen Cove

rainwater season under anaerobic conditions, where summer rainwater achieved an open circuit potential (OCP) of 553 ± 2 mV, without the addition of nutrients at ambient temperature. Addition of nutrients further increased the cell voltage. The team obtained the maximum open circuit potential for winter rainwater by exposing the reactor to air (aerobic conditions) at ambient temperature.

The resulting rainwater microbial fuel cell (RMFC) generated a maximum power output of 7 ± 0.1 mWm^-2 at a corresponding current density value of 44 ± 0.7 mAm^-2 at 30 degrees Celsius. The scientists obtained the maximum output power at ambient temperature with summer rainwater. During summer, Lactobacillus spp. formed the dominant electroactive genus, while Staphylococcus spp. dominated the winter rainwater. The cyclic voltammetry analysis confirmed how electrons could be delivered directly from the bacterial biofilm to the anode surface, without any mediators to open a new avenue for sustainable rainwater-based microbial fuel cells (RMFCs).

Converting chemical energy into electricity in a microbial fuel cell (MFC)

A microbial fuel cell system provides a setup for microorganisms to convert chemical energy embedded in some organic compounds to electricity by oxidizing these compounds into ATPs (adenosine triphosphate) through sequential reactions. The MFCs differed from other types of fuel cells since living organisms can act as a catalyst to organize organic materials present at the anode chamber. The process of MFC development provides a clean, reliable and efficient process, without any toxic byproducts. While the energy produced by MFCs is relatively low, it could gain energy from several types of wastes naturally present in diverse environments for direct conversion into electricity. In remote areas, MFCs are therefore considered a convenient power-generating device for wireless sensors. Rainwater contains a variety of microorganisms collected from the atmosphere, with ample evidence for microbial activity in the air. Fresh rainwater samples contain a wide phylogenetic variety including genomic sequences such as Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes and Lentisphaerae. The presence of diverse microorganisms motivated the scientist to study the possibility of generating electricity using rainwater microbial fuel cells (RMFC) due to their ability to metabolize organic and inorganic components. In this work, Amen et al. investigated two different rainwater samples based on sample collecting season to generate electricity through a single chamber air-cathode MFC. The results surprisingly provided a promising power output from a relatively high-quality atmosphere.

Nutrient Broth media. Amen et al. next constructed an MFC for function as a single chamber air-cathode made of transparent polyacrylic between the anode and cathode. The team placed a silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrode in the anode compartment to measure the potential of the electrodes. They assembled the MFC and sterilized it using UV, then tested its performance with pure rainwater as an anolyte (electrolyte on the anode side), alongside rainwater with nutrient broth media. To examine aerobic/anaerobic conditions, the team next provided direct contact of ambient air to the MFCs and in another instance blocked access to oxygen to create anaerobic conditions. Amen et al. expected the types of microorganisms and their quantities in rainwater to vary according to the season. The summer rainwater provided a maximum open circuit potential than in winter at an ambient temperature after 15 days of function. The results indicated how the proposed rainwater microbial fuel cells could create a very acceptable potential regardless of the collecting season, although summer rainwater produced a more favorable anolyte.

extracted the genomic DNA for analysis. The team found the maintenance of anaerobic conditions in MFCs to be quite difficult in practice and therefore investigated cells under aerobic conditions to determine the successful role of rainwater as an anolyte in the setup for electricity generation. They credited the findings to the fast metabolization of nutrients at 30 degrees Celsius. The output values emphasized the applications of RMFCs (rainwater microbial fuel cells) in summer or winter under the appropriate conditions of interest.

microbial fuel cells also showed a thick, well-structured electroactive film via scanning electron microscopy, making it possible to transfer electrons to the anode.

DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210996

Brent C. Christner et al, Ubiquity of Biological Ice Nucleators in Snowfall, Science (2008). DOI: 10.1126/science.1149757

% %item_read_more_button%% Hexbyte Glen Cove Educational Blog Repost With Backlinks — #metaverse #vr #ar #wordpress

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged microbial, Rainwater-driven.