An alternative energy source for low power systems: Microbial fuel cells

摘要

Supplying distributed sensor networks by using energy harvesting methods is a wide research and development area today. Especially for remote and inaccessible areas, it is essential to implement sensors for long periods without need of maintenance. Battery energy is not sustainable for long term operations: this problem leads to search new energizing alternatives for sensor power. In this study, a short review of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is given and a research work on soil based sediment type MFC prototype is presented. The MFC prototype is tested under various load conditions in order to find out electrical characteristics. The maximum output power is also measured for different loadings. And some future aspects are given for improving MFC performance.