Abstract: The study was aimed at investigating the potentials of mixed and axenic microbial fuel cells for electricity generation. The study was carried out within a period of six months. 500 mls of domestic kitchen waste water was collected from various locations in Calabar Metropolis, into tightly corked plastic containers and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Microbial fuel cell was designed using plastic containers, graphite electrodes, salt bridge and domestic waste water. Microoganisms from the domestic waste water were identified using standard microbiological techniques. Results from the study showed that a higher mean voltage (1.58v) was recorded by microbial fuel cells with mixed consortium ( stacked waste water microbial fuel cell ), as compared to that obtained from microbial fuel cell with axenic culture. Among the bacteria cells identified from the waste water, Salmonella had the highest voltage production (0.68v) as compared to other isolates. The comparative analysis of voltage density of the fuel cells showed that the stacked waste water microbial fuel cells had the highest voltage density (0.072v/m2) compared to others. However, this study has shown that microbial fuel cell technology could serve as a new core technology for conversion of waste to electricity in future.
Keywords: axenic microbial fuel cells, microbiological techniques, domestic waste water.
Title: Potentials of Mixed and Axenic Microbial Fuel Cells for Electricity Generation
Author: Chisomaga Nwosu, Sylvester Peter Antai, Dominic Reuben Tiku
International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Research
ISSN 2348-6988 (online)
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