Leagan Gaeilge   Text Version   Display: Zoom (-) (+)   View ( Normal High contrast ) Printer Friendly  A to Z  Sitemap

Research Matters

Turning Waste into Power

 
 

Soaring oil prices and the threat of climate change highlights the need to source sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Researchers in the School of Chemistry, NUIG are developing technologies which harness power from a unique fuel source - wastewater. The Biomolecular Electronics Research Laboratory (BERL), headed by Dr. Dónal Leech, are developing microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use microbial degradation of wastes, to generate electricity. MFCs contain biofilms of special microbes, known as ’exoelectrogens’, that act on organic compounds by stripping electrons from them and transferring these electrons to electrodes, providing electrical power, whilst degrading them into simpler, less harmful, products such as CO2. 

Because MFCs employ naturally occurring microbes as catalysts, they could cost a fraction of that of chemical fuel cells, which use expensive platinum catalysts. Unlike chemical fuel cells, MFC versatility is based on microbial diversity, permitting use of a wide range of sources to fuel the cell, with fuels as diverse as slaughterhouse wastewaters and grass silage effluent ¹ already demonstrated by BERL, in collaboration with the Microbial Ecology Laboratory led by Prof. Vincent O’Flaherty. Research interaction with the School of Engineering has led to a ’proof of concept’ MFC, capable of powering a fan using wastewater (video can be seen here). “This research, whilst still at an early stage, shows promise as a technology for waste degradation, or production of higher value chemicals from renewable resources, whilst conserving energy through electrical power generation” says Dr. Leech.

Recent research by the consortium, reported in the March edition of Journal of Power Sources ² , has highlighted adaptation of MFC biofilms to low temperature environments, providing results that show promise for application of the technology in milder climates, without requirement for heating reactors to maintain power output. BERL research is also focused on attempting to unravel how biofilms transfer electrons to electrodes, as the complex mechanism at the heart of the operation of a MFC is, as yet, poorly understood. Studies on cultivation of “exoelectrogenic” biofilms on electrodes, as recently reported on by BERL ³ can provide insights into MFC biofilm electrochemistry, leading to improved technology. It is envisaged that this research, supported by the EU and a Charles Parsons Energy Research Award (SFI), may lead to commercial opportunities in Ireland for sustainable energy recovery from wastes.

Author: Dr. Paul Kavanagh, Charles Parsons Research Fellow, Biomolecular Electronics Research Laboratory, School of Chemistry & Ryan Institute

 

• Disclaimer
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Accessibility