D. I. Sharif, S. M. Monsur Musa, Rajiv Kumar Sah, Sabiha Rahman
Electricity can be generated from naturally occurring electro potential differences through the burial of an anode in sediment and the immersion of a cathode in the overlying body of water. Such a set-up is called a Sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) or benthic MFC. Mangrove forest sediment of â??Sundarbansâ?? was used to construct SMFC and an open circuit voltage was measured over 40 days. Voltage was found to increase over 14 days after which the voltage remained steady for about 7 days and then declined. The highest voltage of 610 mV was obtained from a single SMFC on the 24th day. Comparative analysis using earthen pot as a proton exchange membrane showed the voltage to increase gradually over an initial period of time, with a highest increase in 80 mV over SMFC without earthen pot. An analysis of different cathode material showed that the highest voltage was obtained from carbon rod over carbon brush and stainless steel as cathode material. Several SMFC were added to make a series connection, which gave enough voltage (3.8 volts) to turn-on a LED bulb and a scientific calculator. The study suggests that Sundarban soil sediment can be a potential source for further study in the development of SMFC
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