Description

Researchers from the Environmental Biotechnology Lab at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur have demonstrated that plant-based microbial fuel cells can generate power more profitably from waste water, compared to algae-based systems. Results of the research, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has been recently published in the journal Bioresource Technology. The team was led by Dr Meenu Chhabra, Associate Professor, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, IIT Jodhpur. Arti Sharma, Sanjana Gajbhiye, Sweta Chauhan, and Dr Chhabra co-authored the paper.

According to IIT Jodhpur, wastewater treatment is an important activity, and the increasing generation of large amounts of domestic wastewater has necessitated the development of newer treatment methods that are energy efficient and scalable. Organic waste has a lot of latent energy – domestic waste contains nine times more energy than the treatment consumes, according to the study. “A Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a device that uses microbes to convert organic matter in wastewater directly into electrical energy,” told lead researcher Dr Chhabra.

The concept of using microbes to generate electricity has been proposed for a long time, but its application in fuel cells is a relatively new development. According to the institute, it has the potential to solve two problems: waste treatment and energy generation. “We have experimentally compared the performance of algae and plant-based MFCs under similar operational conditions and wastewater sources,” told prof. Chhabra.

The researchers compared the two in terms of pollutant removal efficiency and electrical energy generation efficiency. Canna Indica was used for plant-based MFC, and Chlorella vulgaris was used for algae-based MFC. “We found that plant MFCs are better suited because they are robust, stable, and achieve high power output,” informed the lead researcher. “Plant-based microbial fuel cells can be easily installed in natural wetland systems for in-situ bioremediation of waste and power generation,” he added.

According to the institute, these fuel cells can be installed as artificial wetlands in any location where wastewater is collected, and the power generated can be used to power small devices such as LEDs in remote locations. The team intends to further investigate microbial fuel cells and investigate aspects such as microbial community analysis, long-term operation, rhizosphere characterization, and design optimization in order to realise the potential of MFCs in wastewater treatment and alternative power generation.

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