Efficient Energy Harvester for Microbial Fuel Cells Using Dc/Dc Converters

Efficient Energy Harvester for Microbial Fuel Cells using DC/DC Converters
Abstract— Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an emerging technology for sustainable energy production. An MFC employs indigenous microorganisms as biocatalysts and can theoretically convert any biodegradable substrate into electricity, making the technology a viable solution for sustainable waste treatment or autonomous power supply. However, the electric energy currently generated from MFCs is not directly usable due to the low voltage and current output. Moreover, the output power can fluctuate significantly according to the operating points, which makes stable harvest of energy difficult. This paper presents an MFC energy harvesting scheme using two layers of DC/DC converters. The proposed energy harvester can capture the energy from multiple MFCs at the most efficient operating point and at the same time form the energy into a usable shape.

Zhiyong Ren, Ph.D.
Dept. of Civil Engineering University of Colorado Denver Denver, USA [e-mail]

Figure 1. Schematic of a two chamber microbial fuel cell using ferricyanide as the electron acceptor.

I.

INTRODUCTION

The finite resource of fossil fuels and environmental pollution derived from their use are driving the search for renewable and clean energy alternatives. This replacement of fossil fuels will require the utilization of many energy sources suited to meet different end uses. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has been intensively researched in recent years as a novel technology, because it offers a solution for environmentally sustainable energy by treating waste and recovering electricity simultaneously. MFCs use active bacteria to generate electrical energy from the environment electrochemically. MFCs offer a simple, direct method for converting environmentally available biomass into electricity and are very suitable for clean, distributed, and renewable energy source, for example, powering the remote sensors

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