Wireless Sensor Network Powered by a Terrestrial Microbial Fuel Cell as a Sustainable Land Monitoring Energy System

Pietrelli, Andrea; Micangeli, Andrea; Ferrara, Vincenzo; Raffi, Alessandro

doi:10.3390/su6107263

Cited by 33 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This makes fuel cells a credible choice for environmental sensing. Proposed technologies for powering sensor networks in the field include polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells (Figure 2), direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) and microbial fuel cells [4,5,[12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation in PEM Fuel Cells and Mitigation Strategies Using System Design and Control

Thangavelautham¹

2018

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

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The rapid miniaturization of electronics, sensors, and actuators has reduced the cost of field sensor networks and enabled more functionality in ever smaller packages. Networks of field sensors have emerging applications in environmental monitoring, in disaster monitoring, security, and agriculture. Batteries limit potential applications due to their low specific energy. A promising alternative is photovoltaics. Photovoltaics require large, bulky panels and are impacted by daily and seasonal variation in solar insolation that requires coupling to a backup power source. Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are a promising alternative, because they are clean, quiet, and operate at high efficiencies. However, challenges remain in achieving long lives due to catalyst degradation and hydrogen storage. In this chapter, we present a design framework for high-energy fuel cell power supplies applied to field sensor networks. The aim is to achieve long operational lives by controlling degradation and utilizing high-energy density fuels such as lithium hydride to produce hydrogen. Lithium hydride in combination with fuel-cell wastewater or ambient humidity can achieve fuel specific energy of 5000 Wh/kg. The results of the study show that the PEM hybrid system fueled using lithium hydride offers a three-to fivefold reduction in mass compared to state-of-the-art batteries.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation in PEM Fuel Cells and Mitigation Strategies Using System Design and Control

Thangavelautham¹

2018

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

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“…In recent years, wireless sensor network (WSN) technologies that can automatically collect field information and perform real-time control of on-farm equipment have been actively developed and widely applied in agricultural practices to improve efficiency and automation in precision agriculture activities [127]. The agricultural monitoring devices such as remote sensors are typically powered by batteries or solar energy [127]. However, replacing batteries in remote areas is inconvenient and unsustainable, while using solar systems is inefficient, expensive and highly dependent on weather conditions [128].…”

Section: Power Supply For Agricultural Monitoring Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of Emerging Bioelectrochemical Technologies in Agricultural Systems: A Current Review

Chen

Anandhi

2018

Energies

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Background: Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are emerging energy-effective and environment-friendly technologies. Different applications of BESs are able to effectively minimize wastes and treat wastewater while simultaneously recovering electricity, biohydrogen and other value-added chemicals via specific redox reactions. Although there are many studies that have greatly advanced the performance of BESs over the last decade, research and reviews on agriculture-relevant applications of BESs are very limited. Considering the increasing demand for food, energy and water due to human population expansion, novel technologies are urgently needed to promote productivity and sustainability in agriculture. Methodology: This review study is based on an extensive literature search regarding agriculture-related BES studies mainly in the last decades (i.e., 2009–2018). The databases used in this review study include Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science. The current and future applications of bioelectrochemical technologies in agriculture have been discussed. Findings/Conclusions: BESs have the potential to recover considerable amounts of electric power and energy chemicals from agricultural wastes and wastewater. The recovered energy can be used to reduce the energy input into agricultural systems. Other resources and value-added chemicals such as biofuels, plant nutrients and irrigation water can also be produced in BESs. In addition, BESs may replace unsustainable batteries to power remote sensors or be designed as biosensors for agricultural monitoring. The possible applications to produce food without sunlight and remediate contaminated soils using BESs have also been discussed. At the same time, agricultural wastes can also be processed into construction materials or biochar electrodes/electrocatalysts for reducing the high costs of current BESs. Future studies should evaluate the long-term performance and stability of on-farm BES applications.

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“…S‐MFCs are unique because of their numerous advantages over other types of MFC: they are comparatively easier to construct and install; cation exchange membranes (CEM) are normally not required because the gradient in the soil creates a natural potential difference that is necessary for the flow of electrons 8 . In S‐MFC, the soil acts as a nutrient‐rich anodic medium, as a source of electroactive microbes and as a CEM 9,10 . The abundance of electrogenic bacteria and redox mediators 11 in the soil makes it possible to use almost any soil type as an inoculum for MFCs to generate electricity 12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polarization and power density trends of a soil‐based microbial fuel cell treated with human urine

et al. 2020

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Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical devices that use microbial metabolic processes to convert organic substances into electricity with high efficiency. In this study, the performance of a soil-based MFC using urine as a substrate was assessed using polarization and power density curves. A singlechamber, membrane-less MFC with a carbon-felt air cathode and a carbon-felt anode fully buried in biologically active soil was constructed to examine the impact of urine treatment on the performance of the MFC. The peak power of the urine-treated MFC was 124.16 mW/m 2 and was obtained 24 hours after the first urine addition; a control MFC showed a value of 65.40 mW/m 2 in the same period. The treated MFC produced an average power of 70.75 mW/m 2 up to 21 days after the initial urine addition; the control MFC gave an average value of 4.508 mW/m 2 over the same period. The average internal resistances of the treated MFC and the control MFC obtained after the initial treatment were 269.94 and 1627.89 Ω, respectively. This study demonstrates the potential of human urine to reduce internal losses in soil MFCs and to provide stable power densities across various external resistors. These results are propitious for future advancements in soil MFCs for power generation utilizing human urine (a readily available source of nutrients) as a substrate.

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Wireless Sensor Network Powered by a Terrestrial Microbial Fuel Cell as a Sustainable Land Monitoring Energy System

Cited by 33 publications

References 22 publications

Degradation in PEM Fuel Cells and Mitigation Strategies Using System Design and Control

Degradation in PEM Fuel Cells and Mitigation Strategies Using System Design and Control

Applications of Emerging Bioelectrochemical Technologies in Agricultural Systems: A Current Review

Polarization and power density trends of a soil‐based microbial fuel cell treated with human urine

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