A “super battery” powered by energy from microbes in the soil. 
Mamy Nirina Rolland Randrianarivelo 02/17/2024 12:00 9 min
By exploiting theMicrobial energy in the ground for Generate electricityopened researchers from Northwestern University in the United States new perspectives in different areas like precision farming.
It's not from yesterday!
The history of microbial fuel cells dates back to First discoveries in the 1910s, when scientists observed that bacteria could generate electricity by breaking down organic matter in anaerobic environments. However, theirs are Development was limited for many years because of low power output and high manufacturing costs.
It's just in the 2000s that MFCs triggered one new attention, Thanks to technological advances et al.growing interest in renewable energies. Since then, research has focused onImproving their efficiency, power delivery and durabilityResearch into new manufacturing and design methods as well their potential applications in areas such as environmental monitoring, medical devices, pollution cleanup and energy production in remote or hard-to-reach locations.
Significant progress is in sight!
TodayMicrobial fuel cells (MFCs) represent one promising technology in the field of sustainable energy and the environmentand offers significant potential for a variety of applications.
By harnessing the power of microorganisms to convert organic waste into electricity, MFCs could play a crucial role in the transition to a greener and more sustainable economythereby offering a solution to the energy and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
Why trust MFCs?
The need to contact MFCs arises from two big challenges Contemporaries:
- THE Climate change induced by human activity;
- the exponential growth of Electronic waste.
These problems prompted the computer community to do so fundamentally rethink There how we power our electronic devices. THE Battery-powered devices are ubiquitous, However, they need to be constantly replaced and charged, contributing to the proliferation of e-waste and a significant carbon footprint.
Ground-mounted microbial fuel cells (SMFCs). @Bill Yen/Northwestern University
Given this reality Soil Microbial Fuel Cells (SMFC) presents itself as renewable, biocompatible and viable energy sourceespecially in environments where traditional resources such as batteries and solar panels reach their limits.
To understand better
To fully understand how MFCs work, it is important to note how they work fundamental difference compared to conventional fuel cells. This technology uses the Potential of natural bacteria to provide a renewable energy sourceunlike traditional fuel cells that use Chemicals.
A little return to college…
Remember those Cathodes and anodes ? These are two key elements when operating electrochemical devices such as Cells and batteries. For the At the cathode, the electrons react with the ions present in the electrolyte solutionwhile'At the anode, the ions react with the electrons released by the chemical reaction.
The cathode and anode are two key elements in the operation of electrochemical devices such as cells and batteries.
The load difference A occurs between the cathode and the anode electromotive force that creates a constant flow of electrons via the external circuit. And that's how it happened cathode and thatanode play complementary roles in the Generation and maintenance of electrical current in a cell or battery.
…plus a touch of technology!
Researchers have successfully developed one innovative, cartridge-shaped battery model : deep in the ground a horizontal anode effectively captures electrons from microorganisms while a vertical cathode Positioning close to the surface ensures optimal operation.
This revolutionary design overcomes challenges related to water supply, oxygen supply and performance limitations due to lack of humiditythereby paving the way for the widespread use of microbial batteries in various applications.
To achieve this goal, scientists used a methodical approach based on the analysis of nine months of deployment data, from four SMFC experiments exploring different cell geometries. This analysis made it possible“Significantly improve the performance of SMFCs, thereby expanding their energy efficiency range.” over a wide range of soil moisture contents.
Researchers have succeeded in developing an innovative, cartridge-shaped battery model. @Bill Yen/Northwestern University
These remarkable developments position the Microbial batteries as a promising energy solution offering renewable and reliable source of electricity, independent of climatic and environmental conditions.
What benefits can we get from it?
In the area ofPrecision agricultureoffers this innovation sustainable energy source for the sensors usedand thus ensures continuous and reliable operation. In addition, the advanced battery design enables effective adaptation to different soil moisture levelsproducing on average 68 times more energy than is required to power the sensors.
With a 120% more performance than comparable technologiesturns out this solution extremely effective for the specific requirements of precision agriculture. In addition, researchers have a tiny antenna integrated into the battery-operated sensors, and thus makes it easier Real-time transmission of collected data to a base station.
This technology therefore offers the possibility of precisely monitoring soil elements. such as moisture, pollutants and nutrients sustainably and thus open up new perspectives for the optimized management of agricultural resources.
How about a large-scale expansion?
Availability of necessary components in the production of this microbial fuel cell will enable large-scale production in the near futurepaving the way for widespread adoption of this revolutionary technology.
However, Despite these encouraging advances, challenges remain in powering practical computer systems with SMFCs at this stage of development. Nevertheless, it is SMFCs hold promise as a renewable and potentially biodegradable energy source. able to generate enough long-term electricity to power analog wireless sensors.
This research therefore opens the door to new investigations strive for This allows SMFC-powered sensors to meet the growing needs of the computing community with regard to sustainable and autonomous IoT devices.
reference : Bill Yen, Laura Jaliff, Louis Gutierrez, Philothei Sahinidis, Sadie Bernstein, John Madden, Stephen Taylor, Colleen Josephson, Pat Pannuto, Weitao Shuai, George Wells, Nivedita Arora and Josiah Hester. 2024. Soil-Powered Computing: The Engineer's Guide to the Practical Design of Soil Microbial Fuel Cells. Proc. ACM Interaction. Mob. Wearable, ubiquitous technology. 7, 4, Article 196 (December 2023), 40 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3631410