Design and Power Generation of a Vermiculture-Based Microbial Fuel Cell Assembly (VBMFC) with Eudrilus euginae

Kristopher Ray S. Pamintuan, Rod Matthew P. Musni, Alessandra Mae A. Buan, Patricia Denise R. Carlos, Donnel B. Tayam

2019

Abstract

A Vermiculture-based Microbial Fuel Cell (VBMFC) is a novel concept combining vermiculture and Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) to propose a solution to both solid waste management and non-renewable energy problems. In theory, the earthworms would act as a biocatalyst, degrading the bulk of the waste to simpler substances that can then be more readily available to electrogenic bacteria as substrate. For the first time, a VBMFC was designed and constructed to process banana peels using Eudrilus eugeniae. The assembly was kept at ambient conditions and was maintained by light watering and feeding every day. The assembly was shown to generate increasing voltage, current, and power, until it plateaus and reaches an equilibrium value of about 800 mV and 65 μA. A maximum power density of 5.60 mW/m2 electrode surface area was obtained. The effectivity of the VBMFC set-up was attributed to the differing degradation rates of E. eugeniae and the microflora, wherein the role of the former is to degrade the bulk waste to make it easier for microorganisms to degrade later. Overall, this preliminary study was able to demonstrate that a functional VBMFC is possible. Further optimization studies are therefore recommended to allow for the scale-up of this technology.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Ray S. Pamintuan K., Matthew P. Musni R., Mae A. Buan A., Denise R. Carlos P. and B. Tayam D. (2019). Design and Power Generation of a Vermiculture-Based Microbial Fuel Cell Assembly (VBMFC) with Eudrilus euginae.In Proceedings of the International Conference on Future Environment Pollution and Prevention - Volume 1: ICFEPP, ISBN 978-989-758-394-0, pages 37-40. DOI: 10.5220/0008656600370040

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icfepp19,
author={Kristopher Ray S. Pamintuan and Rod Matthew P. Musni and Alessandra Mae A. Buan and Patricia Denise R. Carlos and Donnel B. Tayam},
title={Design and Power Generation of a Vermiculture-Based Microbial Fuel Cell Assembly (VBMFC) with Eudrilus euginae},
booktitle={Proceedings of the International Conference on Future Environment Pollution and Prevention - Volume 1: ICFEPP,},
year={2019},
pages={37-40},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0008656600370040},
isbn={978-989-758-394-0},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the International Conference on Future Environment Pollution and Prevention - Volume 1: ICFEPP,
TI - Design and Power Generation of a Vermiculture-Based Microbial Fuel Cell Assembly (VBMFC) with Eudrilus euginae
SN - 978-989-758-394-0
AU - Ray S. Pamintuan K.
AU - Matthew P. Musni R.
AU - Mae A. Buan A.
AU - Denise R. Carlos P.
AU - B. Tayam D.
PY - 2019
SP - 37
EP - 40
DO - 10.5220/0008656600370040