Microbial Fuel Cells
An Organic Way of Energy
HISTORY
1911:
M. C. Potter, a botany professor at the University of Durham, developed the idea of obtaining energy from a bacteria and was able to construct a primitive microbial fuel cell (1)
1931:
Barnet Cohen was able to develop enough microbial fuel cells, in which were connected in series would produce over 35 volts (2)
1963:
Through a study directed by Delduca, hydrogen produced by the fermentation of glucose by Clostridium butyricum was used as the reactant at the anode of a hydrogen and air fuel cell but was found unreliable due to the unstable nature of hydrogen production by mircoorganisms (3)
1976:
The issue regarding the unstable nature of hydrogen production by mircoorganisms was resolved by Suzuki. (4)
1977:
Suzuki later designed the current model design of the Microbial Fuel Cells (4)
1980s:
M.J. Allen and H. Peter Bennetto from London, had the desire to provide inexpensive and reliable power to third world countries, which led to them to revolutionize the microbial fuel cell design. Allen and Peter began to understand the electron transport chain and made significant advancements in technology that allowed the basic design of MFCs to be produced. (1)
1999:
A researcher from the Korean Institute of Science and Technology, B-H. Kim developed mediatorless microbial fuel cells which enhanced the MFC's commercial viability, by eliminating the need for costly mediator chemicals required for electron transport. (5)
2007:
University of Queensland, Australia completed its prototype MFC, a cooperative effort with Foster's Brewing. The prototype converts brewery wastewater into carbon dioxide, clean water, and electricity. (6)
