Electrical Power Generation with Himalayan Mud Soil using a Microbial Fuel Cell

Debajyoti Bose M-Tech Renewable energy

Objectives of this Research Work

• Study the sub-Himalayan soil available in Dehradun with a microbial fuel cell and see if it is capable of producing any power• Observe and record if any power is produced, the peak power and

when it starts to drop

• Adding nutrients and secondary chemicals (example: sodium acetate) to soil and check how it affects the microbial growth (positively or negatively)

• Speculate the possibility of scaling up the present system in an efficient manner which can then be sold to villagers at an easily affordable price and they can power their own small scale utility devices just by using the local soil

Introduction to Electrogenic BacteriaFrom the top of the Himalayan Mountains to the bottom of the ocean, these two types of microbes exhibit truly remarkable abilities:

1. Shewanella: Due to their unique ability to expel electrons to compounds outside their bodies, Shewanella can metabolize a variety of substances and link together through conductive appendages, transferring electrons to their neighbors. They can even metabolize toxic compounds containing radioactive Uranium.

2. Geobacter: Geobacter species have the ability to metabolize iron compounds and use them in a way similar to the way humans respire oxygen, thus liberating electrons during the process.

“This is accomplished by using MFCs that use microbes from the soil to generate electricity. Among these diverse communities of microbes are particular species with the unique ability to release

electrons outside their own bodies as part of their natural respiration. ”

Introduction to Fuel Cells

• Energy security, Economic growth and Environmental protection (the three E’s) are the national energy policy drivers of any country globally

• Fuel cells are one of the key enabling technologies for future hydrogen economy

Image: Chemical Reviews, 2004, Vol. 104, No. 10

Fuel Cells: Mechanism

Requires:

Anode and Cathode

Electrolyte

Catalyst

Fuel

Oxidant

Welsh Physicist (1843), William Grove was the

pioneer of Fuel Cell Technology

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC): Scope

• Primitive Life forms: Cyanobacteria and Early Life

“Topsoil is packed with bacteria that generate electricity when placed in a microbial fuel cell. Because such bacteria-laden soil is found almost everywhere on Earth, microbial fuel cells can make clean, renewable

electricity nearly anyplace around the globe.”

Modes of Electron Transfer• Mediated transfer• Nanowire transfer• Direct transfer

MethodologyLED

Blinker Board

Capacitor

Dehradun Soil Characteristics

Source: District Profile, Uttarakhand (2015)

Methodology (Continued)

1. Study the Dehradun soil with a microbial fuel cell and see if it is capable of producing any power

2. Observe and record

V= I.R (Ohm’s Law)P = V.I 

P = V2/R 

NAME UPES, BIDHOLI

TYPE LOCALITYLATITUDE 30.3165LONGITUDE 78.0322STATE UTTARAKHANDDISTRICT DEHRADUN

FOR SAMPLE BELOW ANODE: 6CM×6CM×2CM (= 83.402gm)

FOR SAMPLE BELOW CATHODE AND ABOVE ANODE(ELECTROLYTE) : 6CM×6CM×3CM (=91.407gm)

Results and Discussions

Study I: a 48 hour investigation to see any generation of voltage

Highlights:Peak Voltage= 361mVAmbient Temp. = 19°CKept in Open Circuit

Deduction:Soil does act as an electrolyte between the anode and cathode

2:30p

m4:3

0pm

6:30p

m8:3

0pm

11:30

pm0

100200300400

14th Jan, 2016 Data

Millivolts

Mill

ivol

ts

355mV

Time

12:30

AM1:3

0AM8:3

0AM9:3

0AM

10:30

AM

11:30

AM

12:30

PM1:3

0PM2:3

0PM

270

290

310

16th Jan, 2016 Data

Mill

ivol

t 287 mV

Other Studies for Voltage Generation

• Study II: Voltage generation with Salt (NaCl)

Highlights:• 24hrs study• 25gm of salt• Peak Power= 90mV

Deduction:Elevated sodium (Na+) decreases microbial growth

Time

8pm

9pm

11pm 9a

m11

am 1pm

3pm

7pm

9pm

1am

10am 1p

m3p

m6p

m8p

m0

20

40

60

80

100Chart Title

Vol

tage

(mill

iVol

ts)

90 mV

Other Studies for Voltage Generation

• Study III: With Sodium Acetate (CH₃COONa)

Highlights:72 hour study Two samples each with 25gm acetate solutionPeak Power (I)= 83mVPeak Power (II)= 119mVDeduction:Microbes producing power in the range of millivolts (compared to one study in Boston [1]) Shows the soil microbes here generate a greater potential between the electrodes

Resi-tance

(ohms)

47 100 220 470 1000 2200 47000

20

40

60

80

100

120

140Voltage vs. Resistance (CH₃COONa in MFC)

Volta

ges

Gen

erat

ed (m

V)

Sample 1

Sample 2

Power Data with the MFC

Highlights:Stabilized at around 100uWClosed circuit with resistor of 47Ώ

0 5 10 15 20 25 300

20406080

100120

Ramp Up Data Power (uW)

Days after Construction

Pow

er (u

W)

Power with Salt SolutionHighlights: Ambient temperature was between 28°C in the morning to 15°C at night The setup with salt solution was observed for few hours as previous Graphical analysis between Voltage vs. Time indicated that saline conditionsare not favorable for microbial growth Highlights that bacterial growth is better in warm climate (around 25°C)

Time (Hours)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7020406080

100120

Power Generation with Salt So-lution

Power using 220 ohm resistor

Pow

er (i

n m

icro

wat

ts) 100.45

Power with Sodium AcetateInteresting Data Achieved:• But time limitations discontinued the work• Peak value of 89uW • Power production started dropping all the way up to 18uW

• We deduce that Himalayan soil or simply soil microbes in this region do not consume acetate the way some literature suggested soil microbes in the United Sates do• And that further contributes to soil characterization and indeed the

vegetation that these soil structures supportResis-tance

(ohms)

47 100 220 470 1000 2200 47000102030405060708090

100

Power with Sodium Acetate in SoilPo

wer

(mic

row

atts

)

18.901

89.093

Power with added Nutrients• Nutrient 1 (mixture): water, tomato paste (34.5%), sugar, liquid glucose,

iodized salt, thickener (INS415), onion, garlic, spices and condiments• Nutrient 2 (mixture): water, tomato paste (34%), sugar, edible common

salt, permitted acid (ins260), permitted emulsifiers and stabilizer (ins1422, ins415)

“For the anode, the soil sample was mixed with Nutrient 1 and the sample below cathode was mixed with Nutrient 2”

Resis-tance

(Ω)

47 100 220 470 1000 2200 47000

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2Power Graph

Pow

er (m

illiW

atts

)

0.99 milliWatts

Resistance (Ω)

47 100 220 470 1000 2200 47000

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4V-I characteristics vs. Resistance

Para

met

ers

for

V an

d I

Voltage (Volts)

Current (milliamps)

Resis-tance

(Ω)

47 100 220 470 1000 2200 470000.20.40.60.8

11.21.41.61.8

Voltage and Power in One FramePa

ram

eter

s fo

r V

and

P

Voltage (Volts)

Power (milliWatts)

Highlights and Deductions

• Voltage generated across the terminals increases rapidly up to 1.54 Volts• Peak power produced by the system in two weeks’ time is 0.99 milliwatts• Power value fluctuates because different resistors are used to record the voltage which

then fed into the equation: P= V2/R gives the power produced• The Microbial fuel cell generates DC or direct current, and with increasing resistance the

value of Power produced goes down as both are inversely related to each other

“Microbial Fuel Cell demonstrates the capability of the soil microbes to produce voltage in a higher range and if this is allowed to continue (say for a month), there can be some remarkable current produced from the system which we can then speculate to help run/charge less energy intensive devices in rural areas where electricity is still not available.”

Important Remarks1. Power Producing Capability?2. Recording and Observation.3. Influence of nutrients?4. Scaling up scenarios?

This work investigated the power producing capabilities of soil bacteria, because there was no such literature available on Indian soils as such (FRI, Wadiya etc.)

This work is considered important as it shows that the electrogenic bacteria which can work in a Microbial Fuel Cell exists in Uttarakhand soil as well

Addition of nutrients enhancement of total power produced by the MFC

Total Budget for Project: Rs. 7300/- All material cost (Equipment, Resistors, etc) = Rs.

5000/-

International Shipping Charges= Rs. 2300/-

Limitations/ Problems Faced• The system arrived at UPES late in January 2016, because it was shipped

from California, USA and was stuck at the custom clearing facility in Delhi. Hence for most of the investigation we had limited timeframe

• Time limitation; further experimental investigations shall (preferably) be conducted for a minimum period of One month

• The process inside the vessel can result in steady formation of water, if the cathode gets submerged in water, it will cause low power

• Temperature is important, the month of Jan is mostly on the chilly side (around 9°C at night) which retards soil bacterial activities and growth

Precautions• Large air bubbles should not be present inside the system, in the soil• The soil preparation is a very important step, soil should be saturated but not

soupy, also it should be homogenous and not too dry• All connections to the Hacker Board (LED, Capacitor, etc) should be tight• There should be at least 3 cm of soil between the anode and cathode, the more

soil added; the greater will be the voltage, as present experimental setup is not particularly big to handle larger volumes• In the case when electronics (LED, Capacitor etc.) are not working, the checking

of the MFC from time to time can be done by unplugging the cathode and anode from Blinker board and connecting the leads of a Multimeter to the titanium wires of cathode and anode; 0.35V- we can infer that the electronics is affected• Starting the initial process takes a lot of time (3-7 days), but once a good

microbial community is established, the system works well

Ending on a Positive Note• The system we have used is manufactured by Keegotech in California, USA • Through our investigation we have opened a plethora of possibilities to experiment

and collect more data about the soil in the Himalayan ranges of Uttarakhand• The power of the MFC can be increased by putting the MFC (stacked approach)

• Renewable and clean forms of energy are one of society's greatest needs• The direct conversion of organic matter to electricity using bacteria is possible in

MFC; use of compost is a future prospect• Expensive and toxic chemicals were not needed for mediated electron transfer• Such technology has the possibility to be used even for rural and urban waste

management which includes cleaning of river, production of electricity simultaneously

Worldwide Developments (At Present)• At Penn State University, Prof. Bruce Logan, one of the most eminent name in

MFC research is working on developing MFCs that can generated electricity while accomplishing wastewater treatment(www.microbialfuelcell.org)

• In a project supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), they are researching methods to increase power generation from MFCs while at the same time recovering more of the energy as electricity

• A study conducted by Prof. J. Li, Steven Institute of Technology, New Jersey observed the relationship between organic matter and electrical capacity of MFC fuelled by a vermicompost sample

• Prof. James Karz, Clarkson Univ., NY, The reduction of peroxide in dichloromethane, and the oxidation of glucose in aqueous solution, bio-electro-catalyzed by the electrode, enabled designing a liquid-liquid interface microbial fuel cell using peroxide and glucose as cathodic and anodic substrates respectively

THANK YOU !!!DEBAJYOTI BOSE (R102224007)

M TECH RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEERING

Acknowledgements: Department of Chemistry for allowing this investigationDepartment of Electrical, Power & Energy for support