INEXPENSIVE ORGANIC ELECTRICAL

GENERATION FROM MICROBIAL FUEL CELL

TECHNOLOGY USING WASTEWATER

Science Investigatory Project

Presented to the faculty of Quezon National High School

by
Rahnee Maningas
Kirby Perocho
Janssen Razo
Sarah Egos
Kirstine Galit

Carla Baldovino
Research Adviser

QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

DIVISION OF QUEZON
REGION IV-A CALABARZON
 Introduction

This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem,

hypothesis, conceptual framework, significance of the study as well as its scope and

limitations and the definitions of terms used.

Background of the study

Brownout is one of the main problem in the community, It is an intentional or

unintentional drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system. Power failures are

particularly critical at sites where the environment and public safety are at risk. Institutions

such as hospitals, sewage treatment plants, mines, shelters and the like will usually have

backup power sources such as standby generators, which will automatically start up when

electrical power is lost.

The Philippines is heading into a severe summer power crisis. Hydropower is

reduced due to the seasonal dry spell, and a major gas production facility supplying power

plants will be shut down, so that electricity reserves will be running lower, low enough that

a random tripping or shutdown of a power plant on the grid might cause widespread

outages. Philippine Power System continued to exhibit its resiliency and stakeholders’

unified actions in the onslaught of challenges in 2017. Natural and man-made disasters

hit some parts of the country, coupled with the continued concerns on forced outages of

large power generation plants, as well as the transmission and distribution system. The

most notable of these is the 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the Visayas (Jaro, Leyte) which

occurred in the second half of 2017, damaging geothermal power generation,

transmission and distribution facilities, and resulted to the total loss of power in the
provinces of Samar, Leyte, and Bohol. In Mindanao, the Marawi Siege led to the multiple

partial blackout in the franchise area of the Lanao Del Sur Electric Cooperative

(LASURECO) and total blackout in Marawi City. In view of these incidents, the DOE

initiatives to integrate in its plans, policies, and programs the energy resiliency,

performance assessment of the power industry participants to improve energy security

and reliability were very timely.

The Philippine’s total peak demand in 2017 was recorded at 13,789 MW, which is

517 MW or 3.9% higher than the 13, 272 MW in 2016. On the other hand, the total power

supply, in terms of installed capacity, grew by 6.1% from 21,425 MW in 2016 to 22,730

MW in 2017. A total of 835 MW new capacities were added to the country’s supply base

in 2017 which include coal-fired (630 MW), solar (127 MW), oil-based (77 MW), and

hydropower (1 MW). In terms of share by grid, Luzon contributed 392 MW or 47%,

Mindanao at 337 MW or 40% and Visayas at 106 MW or 3%. The year also saw the end

of the constrained demand in Mindanao which grew by 6.5% or 107 MW from 1,653 MW

in 2016 to 1,760 MW in 2017. All of this came from a device called the Generator.

Generator is a device that converts motive power (mechanical energy) into

electrical power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include

steam turbines, gas turbines, water turbines, and internal combustion engines and even

hand cranks. Generators provide nearly all of the power for electric power grids. This

generator made by wastewater is made of energy production using a microbial fuel cell,

which is capable of directly generating energy from bacteria located in wastewater.

Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical system that drives an electric current

by using bacteria and mimicking bacterial interactions found in nature. This generator
converts chemical energy to electrical energy by the action of microorganisms. This

generator generates energy from bacteria such as Shewanella putrefaciens and

Aeromonas hydrophila and many more bacteria that are electro chemically active. The

researchers conducted the research to create electricity and to help people when a

brownout comes.

Statement of the Problem

The objective of this study is to design a microbial fuel cell. This research aims

to determine the capability of wastewater as the main source of electricity.

Specifically it aims to:

1. Find out the maximum time the microbial fuel cell can generate electricity

2. Determine the amount of watts the microbial fuel cell can produce in an hour

3. Know the amount of time it will take to fully power an appliance

Hypothesis

1. Microbial fuel cell will generate electricity using waste water

2. Microbial fuel cell will not generate electricity using waste water

3. Microbial fuel cell will not generate enough electricity as the main source of

electricity
 Conceptual Framework
Process
INPUT Put waste water in the
Microbial Fuel Cell Vessel vessel
Output
Anode Plant Anode in the Graphite
Disc same for Cathode A Microbial Fuel Cell
Cathode
Move Anode in the vessel
Graphite Disc
Put waste water again
Waste Water
Move Cathode in the vessel

Put waste water again

In order to build a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) you first need to get a Microbial Fuel

Cell vessel, an Anode and a Cathode, a Graphite Disc and the Waste Water. After all of

this you need to put the Anode and the Cathode in the Graphite Disc. If done put a little

waste water in the vessel and put the Anode on top of it make sure that the wire is long

enough that it reaches the top of the vessel. Put more waste water on top of the Anode

and do the same thing with the Cathode you put it on top and make sure that it reaches

the top of the vessel now you put more waste water on top of the Cathode and there

you go you have your very own Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC).

Significance of the Study

The learning of this study would help people and places that is facing brownout

problems always. Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is capable of facing brownout problems,

saving money or electricity bills by just using sewage water as an energy source of this

generator. The entities that will benefit to this study are: Families in a good location to the

sewage, Family facing poverty, and Families that is prone to brownouts.

 People not facing any problems can also benefit to the study if their location is

good to the energy source. They can directly get electricity to the sewage saving them a

lot of time and making them use waste water wisely unlike they use them before.

Poverty is the biggest problem in our country causing researchers to conduct

studies. The study can help this families to have electricity by using this MFC, but they

need to find a sewage or any waste water to make this study work and to provide them

electricity.

The researchers conduct the study first of all is to solve this problem. Brownouts

is a situation when electricity suddenly go down or suddenly died. The study is capable

of generating electricity out of waste water directly to the sewage or any waste water

source. This will help to sustain electricity replacing circuits temporarily until the power

came back.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

Enough supply of electricity, one of the main problem of every Filipino family,

wherein families living in the river side consider it as a main problem of everyday.

This study is conducted for the purpose of conducting electricity with the use of

wastes specifically from bodies of water, where Iyam River as the selected place as the

main source of wastes to be used. The study involves parts waters which are affected of

pollution with the main purpose of solving environmental problems and inadequate supply

of electricity to families who’s facing poverty.

 The Study limits the capability of transmission of large amount of electricity as it

can only generate devices that will consume less electricity and the quantity of devices it

can handle for transmitting electricity.

Definitions of Terms

Anode is a part of electrical devices where electrons leave

Brownout is a sudden loss of electricity in an area

Cathode is a part of electrical devices where electrons enters

Generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy

Graphite is a shiny black substances that is used in pencils

Microbial Fuel Cell is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy by the

action of microorganisms

Microorganisms is an extremely small living thing that can only be seen with a

microscope

Vessel is a container in storing substances

Wastewater is a body of water that has been contaminated with substances

 Review of Related Literature

Shewanella putrefaciens

Shewanella putrefaciens is a Gram-negative pleomorphic bacterium. It has been

isolated from marine environments, as well as from anaerobic sandstone in the Morrison

Formation in New Mexico. S. putrefaciens is also a facultative anaerobe with the ability

to reduce iron and manganese metabolically; that is, it can use iron and manganese as

the terminal electron acceptor in the electron transport chain (in contrast to obligate

aerobes which must use oxygen for this purpose). It is also one of the organisms

associated with the odor of rotting fish, as it is a marine organism which produces

trimethylamine (hence the species name putrefaciens, from putrid).

In both solid and liquid media, S. putrefaciens is often recognizable by its bright

pink color. On solid media, the colonies are round, fast-growing, and pink. The organism

is also fast-growing in liquid media, and there will give the liquid an overall pink hue. On

blood agar plates, the colonies are typically convex and large, with a brown pigment, and

cause “greening” of the agar around the colonies. S. putrefaciens are non-lactose

fermenters on MacConkey agar. As with all Shewanella, this organism produces

hydrogen sulfide on TSI

Although it is very rare for it to act as a human pathogen, there have been cases

of infections and bacteremia caused by S. putrefaciens.

S. putrefaciens is one of several species that have been shown to derive energy

by reducing U(VI) to U(IV), which is thought to be important in making Uranium

deposits. In fact, strain CN32 is very metabolically versatile and is capable of reducing

metals, metalloids, and even radionuclides in place of oxygen during anaerobic growth.

Aeromonas hydrophila

Aeromonas hydrophila is a heterotrophic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium

mainly found in areas with a warm climate. This bacterium can be found in fresh or

brackish water. It can survive in aerobic and anaerobic environments, and can digest

materials such as gelatin and hemoglobin. A. hydrophila was isolated from humans and

animals in the 1950s. It is the most well-known of the species of Aeromonas. It is resistant

to most common antibiotics and cold temperatures and is oxidase and indole positive.

A. hydrophila bacteria are Gram-negative, straight rods with rounded ends (bacilli

to coccibacilli shape) usually from 0.3 to 1.0 μm in width, and 1.0 to 3.0 μm in length.

They can grow at temperatures as low as 4 °C. These bacteria are motile by a

polar flagellum.

The pathogenicity of Aeromonas species was believed to be mediated by a

number of extracellular proteins such as aerolysin, lipase, chitinase, amylase, gelatinase,

hemolysins, and enterotoxins. However, the pathogenic mechanisms are unknown. The

recently proposed type-III secretion system (TTSS) has been linked

to Aeromonaspathogenesis. TTSS is a specialized protein secretion machinery that

exports virulence factors directly to host cells. These factors subvert normal host cell

functions to the benefit of invading bacteria. In contrast to the general secretory pathway,

the TTSS is triggered when a pathogen comes in contact with host cells. ADP-ribosylation

toxin is one of the effector molecules secreted by several pathogenic bacteria and
translocated through the TTSS and delivered into the host cytoplasm, which leads to

interruption of the NF-KB pathway, cytoskeletal damage, and apoptosis. This toxin has

been characterized in A. hyrophila (human diarrhoeal isolate), A. salmonicida (fish

pathogen), and A. jandaeiGV17, a pathogenic strain which can cause disease both in

humans and fish.

Mediator-free Microbial Fuel Cell

Mediator-free microbial fuel cells use electrochemically active bacteria to transfer

electrons to the electrode. Among the electrochemically active bacteria are Shewanella

putrefaciens, Aeromonas hydrophila and others. Some bacteria are able to transfer their

electron production via the pili on their external membrane. Mediator-free MFCs are less

well characterized, such as the strain of bacteria used in the system, type of ion-exchange

membrane and system conditions

Mediator-free microbial fuel cells can run on wastewater and derive energy directly

from certain plants. This configuration is known as a plant microbial fuel cell. Possible

plants include reed sweetgrass, cordgrass, rice, tomatoes, lupines and algae. Given that

the power is derived from living plants, this variant can provide ecological advantages.

Soil Based Microbial Fuel Cell

Soil-based microbial fuel cells adhere to the basic MFC principles, whereby soil

acts as the nutrient-rich anodic media, the inoculum and the proton exchange membrane

(PEM). The anode is placed at a particular depth within the soil, while the cathode rests

on top the soil and is exposed to air.

Soils naturally teem with diverse microbes, including electrogenic bacteria needed

for MFCs, and are full of complex sugars and other nutrients that have accumulated from
plant and animal material decay. Moreover, the aerobic microbes present in the soil act

as an oxygen filter, much like the expensive PEM materials used in laboratory MFC

systems, which cause the redox potential of the soil to decrease with greater depth. Soil-

based MFCs are becoming popular educational tools for science classrooms.

Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) have been applied for wastewater

treatment. Simple SMFCs can generate energy while decontaminating wastewater. Most

such SMFCs contain plants to mimic constructed wetlands. By 2015 SMFC tests had

reached more than 150 l.

Related Studies

MFC as an Alternative Power Source

De Juan (2014) research is to assess the feasibility of microbial fuel cell as an

alternative to generating power using alternative fuel sources i.e. bacteria in wastewater.

Microbial Fuel Cells have emerged in the recent years as the next potential power source

as supported by many research documents and journals. This review discusses 1) the

basic principle of how MFCs operate, 2) the bacteria effective in mediator-less MFC, 3)

the necessary MFC components and their relevance, 4) various MFC designs that have

been proposed as efficient configurations, and 5) its potential operation in a large-scale

wastewater treatment plant. All of the research done are based on the latest development

in this technology and will be used as reference for the realization phase in the next

semester. A project outline is also presented with a risk analysis on building a small MFC

model and to generate power.

Source of Bioenergy

Parkash (2016). The demands of energy in the world continue to accelerate and

this triggers the global energy crisis and environmental Pollution. The reliance on fossil

fuels (oil and gas) is unsustainable because of its finite, depleting supplies and impact on

environment. As a result researchers are focusing on alternative, renewable and carbon

neutral energy sources which are necessary for environmental and economic

sustainability. MFC is a bioreactor that converts chemical energy present in the organic

or inorganic compound substrates to electrical energy through catalytic reactions of

microorganisms. Many substrates involve in generating electricity including

carbohydrates, proteins, volatile acids, cellulose and wastewaters used as feed in MFC

studies. MFC has a wide range of applications, including serving as household electrical

generators and powering items such as small portable electronic devices boats,

automobiles, electronics in space and self-feeding robots. The construction and analysis

of MFCs requires knowledge at both scientific and engineering fields, ranging from

microbiology and electrochemistry to materials and environmental engineering. We

conclude that for further development of MFC technology a greater focus on the

understanding of its components, microbial processes, factors of limitations and designs

of the construction the in MFC systems is mandatory, in order to be simplified and large

scale system developed; so that it will be cost-effective and to increase electricity

production. This paper aimed to review on the current microbiology knowledge in

electricity production, the materials and methods used to build the technology and the

applications to MFC technology also highlighted.

Using the Microalga Chlorella Vulgaris

 Olivera (2018). Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology is used in various

applications such as wastewater treatment with the production of electrical energy. The

objective of this study was to estimate the biodepuration of oils and fats, the elimination

of blue dye brl and bioelectro-characterization in MFCs with Chlorella vulgaris and

bacterial community.

The operation of MFCs at 32 d showed an increase in bioelectrogenic activity (from 23.17

to 327.67 mW/m2) and in the potential (from 200 to 954 mV), with biodepuration of fats

and oils (95%) in the microalgal cathode, and a removal of the chemical oxygen demand

COD (anode, 71%, cathode, 78.6%) and the blue dye brl (73%) at the anode, here

biofilms were formed by the bacterial community consisting of Actinobacteria and

Deltaproteobacteria.

The findings suggest that MFCs with C. vulgaris and bacterial community have a

simultaneous efficiency in the production of bioelectricity and bioremediation processes,

becoming an important source of bioenergy in the future.

Soil Based Microbial Fuel Cell

In 2015 researchers announced an SMFC application that extracts energy and

charges a battery. Salts dissociate into positively and negatively charged ions in water

and move and adhere to the respective negative and positive electrodes, charging the

battery and making it possible to remove the salt effecting microbial capacitive

desalination. The microbes produce more energy than is required for the desalination

process.
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