SIMPLIFIED: "Microbial fuel cells: a comprehensive review for beginners"

Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8088421/

Note: The image above was taken from the original article.

This article goes over what microbial fuel cells are! Basically, because of climate change, global warming, and a need for cleaner energy, microbial fuel cells allow electricity to be produced using wastewater bacteria. When bacteria eat food (since living organisms need food to survive), they naturally release electrons. Usually, these electrons just go somewhere that is nothing special, but in microbial fuel cells, these electrons do not go to waste. Instead, this movement of electrons creates current, which then can be used for electricity. Remember, the movement of electrons IS current.

In a microbial fuel cell, there are two main sections. Think of a microbial fuel cell being divided into half, with one being an anode chamber and the other being the cathode chamber. These two sections are called electrodes and they are responsible for moving electricity. The bacteria are in the anode chamber, and as they release electrons, these electrons eventually make their way to the cathode. In the cathode, there is oxygen so that electrons and the oxygen react to form electricity. Water is another product of this reaction but it isn’t as relevant as the energy that is created. 

You might be wondering what kinds of materials can be used to make electrodes, as without the actual electrodes then the entire microbial fuel cell system wouldn’t really work. Since the electrode needs to be moving electricity, the electrode needs to allow electrons to move well. Therefore, the electrode needs to have a high conductivity. If a material has high conductivity, it means electrons can pass through it very easily. Many scientists use carbon felt and graphite rods as the material for their electrode because those materials have high conductivity. Also, graphite rods especially are super cheap. 

You might be wondering why microbial fuel cells aren’t just being used everywhere. Well… there’s a problem: although microbial fuel cells can produce energy that is environmentally friendly, this electricity is nowhere enough to power things like phones or laptops. As of now, there are still countless research labs investigating how to optimize microbial fuel cell performance.