@@pt.madhusudanmishra9987 hahah whats up I did this project in the 6th grade for science fair and now am a Junior in Highschool, would love to help. Let me know if you need anything
Microorganisms need nutrients to grow and survive. Limiting essential nutrients has a significant impact on their growth and metabolism. If the microorganisms in your microbial fuel cell are limited by certain nutrients, you can increase their performance by adding nutrients. Adding different amounts of nutrients to a microbial fuel cell and comparing their performance is a great idea for a scientific experiment.
Hello, how are you!? my English is not very good.. but what did you understand is that this hacker card polarizes the correct graphite felt ?? what would she be a transistor? thank you!!
Hi - we apologize for the delayed reply. Is there any chance you speak Portugese? We have someone on staff who speaks Portugese, so if you ask your question in Portugese, we may be able to answer you better.
@@Science.Buddiesok obrigado por responder eu n consegui entender o motivo protoboard ou placa hacker que vc falou no video!! ela polariza e armazena energia mecanicamente no capacitor ?? tb n consegui entender porque vc usou um resistor pra medir a tensão!! o resistor não é pra diminuir a tensão?? ou com baixa tensão ele funciona como um ladrão de jaule?? eu estou desenvolvendo uma celula de hidrogenio que atraves de um processo bioquimico armazena energia em forma de hidrogenio !! só que eu n sei porque o catodo e anodo ficam trocando de polaridade.. eu ví alguns video da Plant-e sobre a energia das plantas,obtida atraves da fotossintese !! só que eles não explicam como funciona o sistema e até agora eles n me reponderam !! desde já agradeço !!
@@CDZion We think the written instructions for the project will answer some of your questions. The hacker board stores energy in the capacitor until there is enough to blink the LED, because the fuel cell does not produce enough continuous power to light the LED. However, you can measure the continuous power output (power = voltage x current) using an external resistor as a load. www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p042/energy-power/microbial-fuel-cell-mud?from=RUclips#background. We don't have instructions in Portugese, but you should be able to use Google translate on the page: translate.google.com/
Hi Maria - choosing the right electrode materials is very important to make sure the microbial fuel cell works efficiently. The anode needs to be a biocompatible material as this is where the bacteria grow. The most common materials used are carbon-based, such as carbon/graphite cloth, felt, brushes, or paper. Stainless steel has also been shown to work well. You usually want to provide a large anode surface area for a stable biofilm to grow. For the cathode you want a material that is good in reducing oxygen to water, which is the reaction that happens there. Ideally, you have a cathode that is coated with some kind of catalyst such as platinum that makes the oxygen reduction reaction more favorable. Platinized carbon electrodes are commonly used. Cheaper cathodes such as Mn2O3 or Fe2O3 have been tried as well. Another option is to use a biocathode, which involves bacteria that can reduce oxygen biologically at the cathode. There have been some studies done that show that this concept works. For some of these, also carbon-based cathodes have been used. In general, though, you can try many different cathode materials. Just remember, that the performance of your microbial fuel cell will be different for each one. If you want to dig deeper into MFCs and electrode materials, here are two papers, that you can read: 1) web.mit.edu/pweigele/www/SoBEI/Info_files/Logan%202006%20Environ%20Sci%20Technol.pdf 2) www.researchgate.net/publication/319276277_Microbial_Fuel_Cells_Electrode_Materials
Hi Kpt_05 - the fuel cell will still produce power without the LED. The LED just provides a way for you to easily visualize the power output. The written instructions on our website explain how to measure the power output using a resistor: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p042/energy-power/microbial-fuel-cell-mud?from=RUclips
Ritesh Ranjan when ur speaking in terms of how this can be used on a larger scale, you can find many diagrams on the internet with the chemical breakdown that goes into each vessel.... you can make a microbial fuel cell by looking at one of these and figure out how to arrange it as such
In theory forever, but you will eventually run into oxygen shortage should the container be closed of completely. But new oxygen should start the process again. You might want to add some fertilizer, but i am not sure if it would change something. But most claim that it lasts at least several months.
I have done a project on this topic and i want to increase the efficiency of the cell.The results obtained were pretty good but i think there must be something that will improve its efficiency.Do you have any suggestions for me ?Btw my model has two compartments joined by a salt membraane.
Hi - just using a larger container by itself will not give you more electrical current, you would also need larger electrodes (more surface area for the chemical reactions means more current can be generated). However, be careful because "bigger" LEDs do not necessarily use more current. For example, one of these LEDs is twice as big as the other, but they are both still rated for 20mA: www.sparkfun.com/products/9590 www.sparkfun.com/products/10632
Hi Ambar, The material of the anode and cathode are the same in this project. They are both graphite felt electrodes. Graphite felt has been shown to be a good electrode material for microbial fuel cells as it is electrically conductive and also provides a good substrate for bacteria to grow a biofilm.
@@aw1piece Hi Ambar, if you look at the replies to other electrode related questions below, you will hopefully find some answers to your question. I also provided links to some papers in previous replies that might give you a better understanding of electrode materials in microbial fuel cells.
If you wanted to measure each fuel cell's power output one at a time, you could just swap the LED back and forth between them. However, if you contact service@homesciencetools.com, they may be able to send you another LED.
Hi Anumula - generally, you can use many different kinds of anode or cathode materials in a microbial fuel cell. In fact, the optimization of these materials is still a field of active research. In this setup, graphite felt anodes are used because graphite is very stable and highly conductive. In addition, graphite has been shown to be a good substrate for biofilm growth and the felt provides enough space and pores for a biofilm to grow. A good anodic biofilm is critical for a functional microbial fuel cell. If you are interested in the choice of anode materials for an MFC, you could expand this project and compare different anode materials in your setup. This way you can test which anode material gives you the highest power output. Here are some more recent papers that discuss the choice of electrode materials in an MFC. These will provide some more in depth information to answer your question: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781782423751000046 pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2015/ee/c5ee00866b www.researchgate.net/publication/319276277_Microbial_Fuel_Cells_Electrode_Materials
Hi Evan, Yes you can measure the power output of the microbial fuel cell. If you go to any of the related project pages listed in the description above, you will find the instructions on how to do that in the project procedure. For example, section 2 (Measuring Power Output) in the project "Turn Mud into Energy With a Microbial Fuel Cell" walks you through all the steps of how to determine the power output of your microbial fuel cell.
Hi Sarai - written instructions are available on our website: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p042/energy-power/microbial-fuel-cell-mud?from=RUclips
Hi Mike - the most likely explanation would simply be that they have the connections to the multimeter switched. That will give you a negative voltage. See this video if you haven't already: ruclips.net/video/p2q6BGJuxRk/видео.html
Thanks for the reply, but it's definitely not that simple. I'm an electronics teacher that has been building these for years, but lately most of them never go positive.
Hello - RUclips comments are not working properly due to recent changes RUclips has made. If you have questions about the project, please ask in the Ask an Expert forums on our site: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/ask-an-expert-intro?from=RUclips
If you are a K-12 student having trouble with a school science project, you can ask for help in the Ask an Expert forums on our website: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/ask-an-expert/index.php
Guys if you want a more affordable option make it your self it is really easy and fun it will cost about 30$ hand made.
How?
yea how, i need one for my science fair
@@evanzheng5986 same
Idk why but i got this idea in my dream lastnight, and literally searching about it in Internet, i'm chemistry student😢
@@pt.madhusudanmishra9987 hahah whats up I did this project in the 6th grade for science fair and now am a Junior in Highschool, would love to help. Let me know if you need anything
buen trabajo saludos desde colombia
How did you make the cathode and anode
great work
What soil did you use in the video?
paddy soil also works wonder
Where do you buy this kit?
www.sciencebuddies.org/store-send?url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.homesciencetools.com%2fproduct%2fmicrobial-fuel-cell-kit%2f%3faff%3dSB1
ScienceBuddiesTV thank you!
Were do you got to buy equipment?
Please see the link in the video description.
My capacitor is also black and I ordered the kit
If you are still having trouble, please contact us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org
may i ask if adding nutrients to microbes also increases their induced fuel cell?
Microorganisms need nutrients to grow and survive. Limiting essential nutrients has a significant impact on their growth and metabolism. If the microorganisms in your microbial fuel cell are limited by certain nutrients, you can increase their performance by adding nutrients. Adding different amounts of nutrients to a microbial fuel cell and comparing their performance is a great idea for a scientific experiment.
Hello, how are you!?
my English is not very good..
but what did you understand is that this hacker card polarizes the correct graphite felt ??
what would she be a transistor?
thank you!!
Hi - we apologize for the delayed reply. Is there any chance you speak Portugese? We have someone on staff who speaks Portugese, so if you ask your question in Portugese, we may be able to answer you better.
@@Science.Buddiesok obrigado por responder
eu n consegui entender o motivo protoboard ou placa hacker que vc falou no video!!
ela polariza e armazena energia mecanicamente no capacitor ??
tb n consegui entender porque vc usou um resistor pra medir a tensão!!
o resistor não é pra diminuir a tensão??
ou com baixa tensão ele funciona como um ladrão de jaule??
eu estou desenvolvendo uma celula de hidrogenio que atraves de um processo bioquimico armazena energia em forma de hidrogenio !!
só que eu n sei porque o catodo e anodo ficam trocando de polaridade..
eu ví alguns video da Plant-e sobre a energia das plantas,obtida atraves da fotossintese !!
só que eles não explicam como funciona o sistema e até agora eles n me reponderam !!
desde já agradeço !!
@@CDZion We think the written instructions for the project will answer some of your questions. The hacker board stores energy in the capacitor until there is enough to blink the LED, because the fuel cell does not produce enough continuous power to light the LED. However, you can measure the continuous power output (power = voltage x current) using an external resistor as a load. www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p042/energy-power/microbial-fuel-cell-mud?from=RUclips#background. We don't have instructions in Portugese, but you should be able to use Google translate on the page: translate.google.com/
@@Science.Buddies ok thank you
It really works?
what are other alternatives for cathode?? We planed on using graphite felt for the anode but how about the cathode??
Hi Maria - choosing the right electrode materials is very important to make sure the microbial fuel cell works efficiently. The anode needs to be a biocompatible material as this is where the bacteria grow. The most common materials used are carbon-based, such as carbon/graphite cloth, felt, brushes, or paper. Stainless steel has also been shown to work well. You usually want to provide a large anode surface area for a stable biofilm to grow. For the cathode you want a material that is good in reducing oxygen to water, which is the reaction that happens there. Ideally, you have a cathode that is coated with some kind of catalyst such as platinum that makes the oxygen reduction reaction more favorable. Platinized carbon electrodes are commonly used. Cheaper cathodes such as Mn2O3 or Fe2O3 have been tried as well. Another option is to use a biocathode, which involves bacteria that can reduce oxygen biologically at the cathode. There have been some studies done that show that this concept works. For some of these, also carbon-based cathodes have been used. In general, though, you can try many different cathode materials. Just remember, that the performance of your microbial fuel cell will be different for each one. If you want to dig deeper into MFCs and electrode materials, here are two papers, that you can read:
1) web.mit.edu/pweigele/www/SoBEI/Info_files/Logan%202006%20Environ%20Sci%20Technol.pdf
2) www.researchgate.net/publication/319276277_Microbial_Fuel_Cells_Electrode_Materials
@@Science.Buddies Thank You
Actually v do Have these vessels Readymade @ shops or u made them?
The microbial fuel cell kits are available for purchase here: www.homesciencetools.com/product/microbial-fuel-cell-kit/?aff=SB1
Is the LED light required for the microbial fuel cell to produce energy or can it produce energy without it
Hi Kpt_05 - the fuel cell will still produce power without the LED. The LED just provides a way for you to easily visualize the power output. The written instructions on our website explain how to measure the power output using a resistor: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p042/energy-power/microbial-fuel-cell-mud?from=RUclips
Tq for your reply
The internal resistancy of the mud must be really high, how can you handle it?
Can you pleasee name the material used
Please see the link in the video description!
What is the value and type of the capacitor that we should use?
Hi Gabby - the capacitor is included in the kit, available here www.homesciencetools.com/product/microbial-fuel-cell-kit/?aff=SB1
what is the use of this. how this can be utilised in larger scale
Ritesh Ranjan when ur speaking in terms of how this can be used on a larger scale, you can find many diagrams on the internet with the chemical breakdown that goes into each vessel.... you can make a microbial fuel cell by looking at one of these and figure out how to arrange it as such
Hey, how long does this microbial fuel cell does last ? in minutes ?
In theory forever, but you will eventually run into oxygen shortage should the container be closed of completely. But new oxygen should start the process again. You might want to add some fertilizer, but i am not sure if it would change something. But most claim that it lasts at least several months.
I have done a project on this topic and i want to increase the efficiency of the cell.The results obtained were pretty good but i think there must be something that will improve its efficiency.Do you have any suggestions for me ?Btw my model has two compartments joined by a salt membraane.
Now I am going to do this project but I have a narrow doubt sir
Brother from where u got green hacker board
If use a bigger container then will it be able to light a bigger led?
Hi - just using a larger container by itself will not give you more electrical current, you would also need larger electrodes (more surface area for the chemical reactions means more current can be generated). However, be careful because "bigger" LEDs do not necessarily use more current. For example, one of these LEDs is twice as big as the other, but they are both still rated for 20mA:
www.sparkfun.com/products/9590
www.sparkfun.com/products/10632
@@Science.Buddies so technically, I would be able to modify this to charge something like a cellphone?
what the material of electrode that you use ?
Hi Ambar, The material of the anode and cathode are the same in this project. They are both graphite felt electrodes. Graphite felt has been shown to be a good electrode material for microbial fuel cells as it is electrically conductive and also provides a good substrate for bacteria to grow a biofilm.
@@Science.Buddies thank you, but how if the electrodes have different material ? Which one more good for sediment mfc
@@aw1piece Hi Ambar, if you look at the replies to other electrode related questions below, you will hopefully find some answers to your question. I also provided links to some papers in previous replies that might give you a better understanding of electrode materials in microbial fuel cells.
Can u write in down the green hackerboard type..?
Hi, um I accidentally broke one of my LED lights. Is it possible to use the same LED light for two different microbial fuel cells?
If you wanted to measure each fuel cell's power output one at a time, you could just swap the LED back and forth between them. However, if you contact service@homesciencetools.com, they may be able to send you another LED.
what are those gloves called?
I set up my Microbial Fuel cell. It has been 3 days and still has shown no blinking.
Are you sure?
Whats the value of capacito and bulb?
Please see the written instructions linked in the video description for a materials list.
can we take solid copper metal as anode,can U reply Me ?
Hi Anumula - generally, you can use many different kinds of anode or cathode materials in a microbial fuel cell. In fact, the optimization of these materials is still a field of active research. In this setup, graphite felt anodes are used because graphite is very stable and highly conductive. In addition, graphite has been shown to be a good substrate for biofilm growth and the felt provides enough space and pores for a biofilm to grow. A good anodic biofilm is critical for a functional microbial fuel cell. If you are interested in the choice of anode materials for an MFC, you could expand this project and compare different anode materials in your setup. This way you can test which anode material gives you the highest power output.
Here are some more recent papers that discuss the choice of electrode materials in an MFC. These will provide some more in depth information to answer your question:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781782423751000046
pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2015/ee/c5ee00866b
www.researchgate.net/publication/319276277_Microbial_Fuel_Cells_Electrode_Materials
you can do a 48v battery with that?
You can combine multiple batteries in series to increase the voltage.
Is there a way to measure the electrical output of this fuel cell?
Hi Evan, Yes you can measure the power output of the microbial fuel cell. If you go to any of the related project pages listed in the description above, you will find the instructions on how to do that in the project procedure. For example, section 2 (Measuring Power Output) in the project "Turn Mud into Energy With a Microbial Fuel Cell" walks you through all the steps of how to determine the power output of your microbial fuel cell.
The internal resitancy of the mud must be really high
how do you use the mud watt???
Hi Sarai - written instructions are available on our website: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Energy_p042/energy-power/microbial-fuel-cell-mud?from=RUclips
How to turn on real bulb?
Hi - this project does not generate enough power to light up a full-sized bulb.
My students constructed 12 of these using the same method and 10 of them are reading negative voltages. Any ideas why?
Hi Mike - the most likely explanation would simply be that they have the connections to the multimeter switched. That will give you a negative voltage. See this video if you haven't already: ruclips.net/video/p2q6BGJuxRk/видео.html
Thanks for the reply, but it's definitely not that simple. I'm an electronics teacher that has been building these for years, but lately most of them never go positive.
@Mike Morgan
Hello, may I ask you the outcome of your problem?
It triggered my curiosity and would be glad if you could quench my thirst.
Thanks
@@mikemorgan1021 sir did u get the result?
How did u prepare anode and cathode
How much voltage should I be getting out of one of these
Hello - RUclips comments are not working properly due to recent changes RUclips has made. If you have questions about the project, please ask in the Ask an Expert forums on our site: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/ask-an-expert-intro?from=RUclips
69420 voltage
Mine is not blinking
If you are a K-12 student having trouble with a school science project, you can ask for help in the Ask an Expert forums on our website: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/ask-an-expert/index.php
@@Science.Buddies thankyou so much 🙏
How much voltage would fertilized soil produce?
only use red led
blue capacitor LoL
Bngh nyhnjn
How did you make the cathode and anode
We didn't make them from scratch, they're included in this kit: www.homesciencetools.com/product/microbial-fuel-cell-kit/?aff=SB1