Electric Bacteria: All About Microbial Fuel Cells

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While the microbial fuel cell is, perhaps, one of the earliest attempts to provide an alternative to fossil-based fuels in the generation of electrical power, it is a means of clean energy generation that has seen significant developments in the 21st century. 

Essentially, a microbial fuel cell is a biochemical system that drives electrical current by using bacteria and a strong oxidizing agent. Like other cells that convert chemical energy into electrical energy, the general construction of a microbial fuel cell features an anode and a cathode separated by an impermeable membrane. The anode is the site where the oxidation reaction takes place, whereas the cathode is where the reduction processes go on. However, unlike traditional fuel cells, the microbial cell sets itself apart by having one of the reactions catalyzed and propagated by biological microorganisms like bacteria (usually called either the bioanode or the biocathode).

Due to its design, the microbial fuel cell has a long history of having potentially revolutionary applications for power generation and simultaneous wastewater treatment. But, due to the high cost of component materials, and low efficiency of output, the technology has never seen active employment yet. However, this is something that is likely to change in the coming decade, with the onset of several interesting developments in the space of microbial fuel cell design and construction to improve efficiency. Indeed, what’s even more interesting about this particular technology is its unique applicability to the context of countries in the Global South, many of whom are seeing private players stepping up to further the research & development of novel new microbial fuel cells.

In fact, microbial fuel cell technology is something that several private organizations in India have been exploring as a means of sustainable energy generation and management. In 2019, a Chennai-based startup named JSP Enviro announced a possible partnership between them and a large-scale garment dyeing plant in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu. Citing the fact that conventional wastewater treatment is extremely energy intensive, whereas a microbial fuel cell would be energy positive with a power generation capacity of 1 kilowatt per square meter, the company states that its microbial fuel cell system is suitable for small installations and can comfortably cater to an organic load of 100kg Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) per day.

In many ways, the microbial fuel cell could hold the key to sustainable energy generation for cities, tackling the challenge of better urban electrification while also providing a solution to the challenges of urban wastewater management and treatment. And with recent research into improving the efficiency of microbial fuel cells, this could well be a green technology that increasingly comes to the limelight in the next decade.