Journal
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
Volume 506, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.230004
Keywords
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) stack; Electricity production from urine; Ceramic membrane; Self-powered electronic faucet
Funding
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [OPP1094890]
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Hygienic measures and the use of electronic faucets integrated with MFC technology can improve sanitation and save water, while also offering a sustainable energy generation system. The integration of low cost ceramic MFCs into toilets could potentially power electronic components and contribute to the maintenance efficiency and hygiene of public facilities.
Hygienic measures are extremely important to avoid the transmission of contagious viruses and diseases. The use of an electronic faucet increases the hygiene, encourages hand washing, avoids touching the faucet for opening and closing, and it saves water, since the faucet is automatically closed. The microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has the capability to convert environmental waste into energy. The implementation of low cost ceramic MFCs into electronic interfaces integrated in toilets, would offer a compact powering system as well as an environmentally friendly small-scale treatment plant. In this work, the use of low cost ceramic MFCs to power an L20-E electronic faucet is presented for the first time. A single MFC was capable of powering an electronic faucet with an open/close cycle of 8.5 min, with 200 ml of urine. With a footprint of 360 cm(3), the MFC could easily be integrated in a toilet. The possibility to power e-toilet components with MFCs offers a sustainable energy generation system. Other electronic components including an automatic flush, could potentially be powered by MFCs and contribute to the maintenance efficiency and hygiene of the public toilets, leading to a new generation of self-sustained energy recovering e-toilets.
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