Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access

Abstract

Bioenergy from Waste Paw-Paw Fruits and Peels Using Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells

Kalagbor Ihesinachi A

The generation of electricity from waste paw-paw fruits and peels is one of the approaches to meet the population demand for energy. We have employed the use of single microbial fuel cells (SMFC) as an alternative source of generating electricity using microorganisms. The graphite used for the electrodes were obtained from discarded finger batteries. The waste paw-paw fruits and peelswere weighed in varying quantities of 5kg, 10kg, 15kg and 20kg. The results obtained showed that the voltage and current produced from the 20 kg paw-paw waste were capable of lighting a 2V bulb continuously for one week. The decrease in voltage and current with time was as a result of decrease in the organic matter contents of the substratesused. The linearity relationship between voltage, current density and power density showed r2 values of 0.906 to 0.994 across the various weights of paw-paw waste used.The steady increase in conductivity values showed that the medium was capable of conducting electricity. A  decreasing trend was observed in the results obtained for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD),dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) for all the substrates.In this research, we achieved the conversion of paw-paw biomass to bio-energy using a simple and cheap method. The use of discarded finger batterieswas an opportunity to convert waste to wealth.

Published Date: 2021-01-02; Received Date: 2020-11-05