Browsing by Author "Raji O. A."

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    Determination of the Suitability of Urine as Substrate in a Power Generating Soil Microbial Fuel Cell
    (2016-08-18) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Raji O. A.; Musa J. J.; Kuti I.
    Urine has been identified as a suitable substrate in Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs). However, its possible utilization in a soil-based Membrane-less Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell (MSCMFC) has, hitherto, not been reported. This study used the mud-watt MFC vessel inoculated with mud prepared from topsoil, and was operated across seven external loads for 19 days (456 hours) without adding any substrate to the soil. Urine was fed into the cell in four durations of time, after the MFC output stabilized. For comparison, a fresh setup (control MFC) was made and operated under the same conditions of temperature (27+3°C), but without the addition of urine. The performances of the MFCs were examined over seven external loads of resistance: 4670 , 2190 , 1000 , 470 , 220 , 100 , and 47 . The Urine-treated MFC and the control MFC both produced an initial peak power output of 5.62μW. Both MFCs produced close values of power outputs up to the point of adding urine. At the final stage, the peak power output of the MFC treated with urine was 246.77μW; whereas the corresponding values for the control MFC were 0.007μW. This study showed that fresh (untreated) human urine can be successfully utilized as fuel in a soil-based MFC for the production of electrical energy for varied external loads.
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    Performance of a Single Chamber Soil Microbial Fuel Cell at Varied External Resistances for Electric Power Generation
    (Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment, 2017-02-14) Simeon, Meshack Imologie; Raji O. A.; Agidi Gbabo; Okoro-Shekwaga
    Soil is beginning to attract research attention as a suitable inoculum for Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) designed for remediation and electricity generation, probably due to its high microbial load. However, not much has been done in this aspect beyond laboratory-based experiments. This study was aimed at generating electricity from agricultural soil, utilizing the microorganisms present in the soil, and investigating the performance of the soil MFC across varied external loads. The study used the MudWatt MFC kit inoculated with mud prepared from topsoil collected from a garden. The electrodes, made from carbon felt material with conducting wires made from graphite, were housed in the same chamber and placed 4cm apart. Voltage drops across seven external resistances of 4670, 2190, 1000,n470, 220, 100, and 47 Ω were measured every 24 hours, with a digital multimeter, for 40 days. The maximum open-circuit voltage from this study was 731 mV, whereas the maximum power density was 65.40 m/Wm2 at a current density of 190.1mA/m2. The optimum performance of the MFC was achieved with the 470Ω at an internal resistance of 484.14 Ω. This study revealed that MFCs constructed from agricultural topsoil are capable of producing electrical power continuously, across different external loads, without the addition of any substrate. However, there is a need for further studies to keep the MFC output constant at the maximum achievable power.