Electricity Production by Microbial Fuel Cell Using Cheese Whey Wastewater of the Dairy Industry in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

• Published in: Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 421 - 430
• Main Authors: Mahato, J., Miah, M., Shovon, M. S., Roy, N., Easmin, M. S., Sharma, Subed Chandra Dev
• Format: Journal Article Paper
• Language: English
• Published: Croatian Association of Chemical Engineers 18.01.2022; Hrvatsko društvo kemijskih inženjera i tehnologa; Croatian Society of Chemical Engineers
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; cheese whey wastewater; cheese whey-microbial fuel cell; Dairy industry; electricity production; electrogenic activity; Force and energy; Fuel cell industry; Fuel cells; Technology application; Wastewater; Bangladesh
• ISSN: 0352-9568; 0352-9568; 1846-5153
• DOI: 10.15255/CABEQ.2021.1922

Microbial fuel cell is an alternative technology for energy generation aiming to recover chemical energy from biodegradable wastewater to and convert it to electricity. In this study, a small laboratory-scale microbial fuel cell was evaluated to generate electricity using cheese whey wastewater as the sole nutrient source. The open-circuit potential and the stable voltage output with 1000 Q external resistance of the fuel cell using only cheese whey wastewater as anolyte were 0.925 V and 0.379 V, respectively. The power density achieved by the cell was 7.18 mW [m.sup.-2], with a maximum current density of 35.75 mA [m.sup.-2]. The series connection of seven fuel cells produced the open-circuit potential of 7 V that could run a 4 V LED light strip for more than 3 hours. Cheese whey-microbial fuel cell can be considered as a cost-effective renewable energy source for the operation of low energy demanding devices in the future. Keywords: cheese whey-microbial fuel cell, cheese whey wastewater, electrogenic activity, electricity production