Discover insights from thousands of peer-reviewed papers on microbial electrochemical systems
Jorge Pablo Aguilar Zavaleta
Preprints.org · 2025
Geothermal energy, with a global installed capacity of 16.7 GW by 2023 and an annual generation of more than 97 TWh, is consolidating its position as a key pillar in the energy transition. From the pioneering Lardarello plant (1913) to The Geysers complex in California—the largest in the world with 1.5 GW of capacity—this energy source has demonstrated its potential to supply baseload electricity 24 hours a day, with a carbon footprint up to 10 times lower than fossil fuels. The article explores how the architectural design of these plants integrates geological, environmental, and technological factors. Systems such as binary cycles—which operate at 90°C and reduce emissions by 95%—allow the exploitation of low-temperature resources, expanding their applicability to non-volcanic regions. However, challenges remain: reservoir exploration is 30-40% uncertain, and initial costs exceed $4,500 per installed kW, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Iconic cases like The Geysers illustrate innovative solutions. Since 2003, its recharge project with treated wastewater (11 million gallons/day) has revitalized the reservoir, extending its lifespan by decades. This circular economy approach not only optimizes resources but also reduces water conflicts in arid areas. The future points to disruptive designs: Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), which could increase global potential tenfold by enabling dry reservoirs, and urban heating districts with heat pumps, capable of providing heating at -20°C. By 2030, drilling innovations—such as smart drill bits and robotics—could reduce costs by 50%, accelerating adoption. In a world that needs to double clean energy by 2040, geothermal energy is emerging not only as a renewable source, but as an architectural canvas where engineering and sustainability converge to redefine the energy landscape. Its evolution will depend on creatively overcoming technical barriers, transforming the Earth's heat into the cornerstone of a decarbonized era.
Punit Kansara
International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research · 2025
Elaeocarpus Ganitrus popularly known as “Rudraksha” has been part of the Indian culture since many centuries. A lot has been written from the religious point of view and through the personal experiences however; there are very few scientific evidences recorded to support such claims. For example, if this bead actually possesses any vibrations or energy. This research aims to understand the bio electrical properties found in Elaeocarpus Ganitrus bead and how can we effectively measure that energy current using the modern low-cost devices. This study involves usage of simple techniques and instruments without going into complexity of other methods such as impedance spectroscopy and costly software applications. There are interesting findings from this research such as, the bio electricity power of Elaeocarpus ganitrus bead can be easily measured in volts just like a dry cell battery and what are the key portions of a bead that holds this energy within. These critical observations are the starting points towards understanding the effects of external bio electric energy on human body and its neurological impact.
Iyabo Olanrele
Research Square · 2021
Abstract The supply and demand for electricity have outpaced available infrastructure in Nigeria despite the abundant energy resources. The paper investigates the determinants of electricity generating infrastructure in Nigeria for the period 1980 to 2016. Using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag model, electricity generation capacity was used as an indicator for electricity infrastructure development. Its expansion was based on the behaviour of inflation rate, total government expenditure, interest rate, private sector financial credit, exchange rate, real GDP per capita, real gross fixed capital formation, and the rate of urbanisation. Financial credit to private sector, total public expenditure, real per capita income, real gross fixed capital formation, urbanization, and exchange rate adversely affect the development of electricity generation capacity. Investment in generating assets is capital intensive, which should be matched with adequate private sector financing. If the power sector subsidy will remain and achieve its objective, strategies that will lead to sustaining exchange rate stability should be promoted. Based on estimate, every one million population require 1000MW of electricity to function in modern-day society implying that Nigeria needs 180,000MW of electricity capacity. The realisation of this is hinged on large scale electricity infrastructure investment enabled, partly, by the favourable macroeconomic environment.JEL Classification: E16, O1, O2
Xingrui Zhang, Juhao Su, Yiming Zhou
Research Square · 2025
Abstract By analyzing the electricity generation data of Texas from 2007 to 2024, this study computes the average emission factors (AEF) of electric vehicles and observes how AEF evolved with changes in grid mixes. It was observed that the primary source of variation within the AEF comes from the time-varying supply of renewable energy. In addition to developing a tool to forecast the AEF, this study found that adopting solar and wind power generation simultaneously allowed the two energy sources to compensate for each other’s diurnal and seasonal patterns, making EV charging sustainable across all times. It was also discovered that renewable energy capacity serves as pathway by which the interaction between emission factors and changes in economic conditions can be explained, as economic growth impacts renewable energy capacity, and in turn the emissions factors. A 3-D framework for peak identification of AEF considering both diurnal and seasonal variation was proposed, and it was observed that the peaks in AEF had shifted over the years and that the current governmental recommendation to charge during evenings deserves re-evaluation.
N Emalya, N Malahayati, E Munawar et al.
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science · 2021
Abstract The high growth of world population, increase global urbanization and rapid rise of industrialization have driven a drastic escalation in demands not only for food, and water but also energy. In addition to decreasing the natural oil reserve, excessive utilization of fossil fuel for the conversion into various forms of energy, including electrical power, also contributes to atmospheric pollution due to the release of gases from combustion which eventually will cause climate change. Consequently, recent years, great attention has been focused on energy production and generation from microalgae, because it is sustainable, environmentally friendly and economical. Microalgae fuel cell (MFC) is a device which utilizes microalgae capable of oxidizing organic matter by generating electron, obtaining energy for their own and providing electricity generation. Wastewater contains inorganic and organic nutrients which could be used as the source of substrate for microalgae to grow. A combination of MFC and wastewater would offer a great promising technology in the future for the simultaneous treatment of wastewater and electricity generation. This paper review the potentials of electrical energy generation with the application of MFC, the concept of MFC and the current development of MFC.
M.A. Satter
International Journal of Current Science Research and Review · 2021
An experiment was conducted to evaluate growth performances and production of bio-fuel of Spirulina platensis (Gomont), and bio-oxygen and bio-electricity of culture media in supernatant of three different amount of digested poultry waste (DPW), and Kosaric medium (KM) as control. Three different amounts (concentrations) such as 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 g/L poultry waste were allowed to digest under aeration. After 17 days, 700 ml grayish coloured supernatant was taken with addition of 9.0 g/L NaHCO3 and 0.50 ml/l micronutrient in 2.0 L conical flask with three replications and then autoclaved. Spirulina was inoculated to grow in these three treatments including KM (Control) after 72 hours of autoclave and then allowed to grow for a period of 14 days. This duration was estimated through repeated growth trials. The cell weight of spirulina was attained a maximum of 12.58 ± 1.25 mg/L (dry wt. basis) in KM followed by 11.46 ± 1.03, 9.16 ± 0.84 and 8.13 ± 0.73 mg/L in supernatant of 4.0, 2.0 and 6.0 g/L DPW, respectively on the 10th day of culture. Similar trend was also observed in the cases of optical density of the media contained spirulina, chlorophyll a content (mg/L), cell weight, total biomass (mg/l) and specific growth rates on the basis of cell weight and chlorophyll a. Cell weight of spirulina grown in these media had highly significant (P < 0.01) correlation with the chlorophyll a content (r = 0.993) of spirulina. Crude protein of spirulina grown in supernatant of DPW was lower than that of spirulina cultured in KM. Crude lipids as bio-fuel of spirulina cultured in supernatant of 4.0 g/L DPW was almost three times higher than that of spirulina grown in KM which may be due to high phospholipids bioaccumulation. Phosphate-P was decreased in media of DPW due to its use for high lipids biosynthesis as phospholipids. Bio-oxygen was produced higher ranged from 2.1 ± 11 mg/L on initial day to 10.20 ± 0.54 mg/L on 10th day grown in supernatant of 4.0 g/L DPW media. Bio-electricity as green electricity ranged from 135 ± 4 on initial day to 284 ± 7 mV on 10th day when spirulina cultured in supernatant of 4.0 g/L DPW which was higher than grown in other media. pH followed the similar trend like bio-oxygen and bio-electricity. It was found that the production of bio-oxygen, bio-fuel and bio-electricity had direct relation with pH in culture media of spirulina. Therefore, mass production of Spirulina platensis might be done in supernatant of 4.0 g/L digested poultry waste to get high total lipids as bio-fuel, bio-electricity and bio-oxygen.
Yaniv Shlosberg, Ayelet Lesman
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2024
Abstract The recent understanding of the critical future damage that might happen on earth by climate change has urged scientists to initiate new creative ideas for clean energy technologies that will reduce carbon emissions. A promising approach is the utilization of living cells as electron donors in bio-electrochemical cells (BECs). This concept has been intensively studied for micro-organisms such as non-photosynthetic bacteria, cyanobacteria, and microalgae, but not for mammalian cells. In this work, we report for the first-time integrating live fibroblast cells in a BEC to produce electrical current that is about 3 times higher than intact micro-organisms. Furthermore, we apply 2D-fluorescence and electrochemical measurements to show that like in micro-organisms based BECs, NADH and flavins play a role in the electron mediation between the cells and the anode. Finally, we show that the cultivation medium of fibroblasts also consists of redox species that may produce dark and photocurrent.
Pratibha Singh, Ashima Srivastava, Nupoor Srivastava et al.
Zastita Materijala · 2024
The current global scenario is marked by substantial energy demands coupled with limited resources, leading to a widespread energy crisis. Non-renewable energy sources are depleting rapidly, while renewable sources remain underutilized. There is an urgent need for alternative methods of energy generation. In recent times, considerable attention has been directed towards microbial fuel cells (MFCs) due to their favorable operating conditions and the availability of a variety of eco-friendly substrates as fuel. Through the active breakdown of substrates by microorganisms, bioelectricity is produced, offering a sustainable solution to the escalating energy challenges. Extensive research has yielded new insights into Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), revealing that a diverse range of carbon sources, including various types of waste, can be effectively utilized with a wide array of microbes. Consequently, the microbial conversion of waste through innovative bioremediation techniques like utilizing MFCs present a potentially attractive alternative to conventional treatment processes in wastewater treatment, facilitating the direct generation of electric energy. This not only aligns with prevailing technological trends but also contributes to cost reduction in the overall process. This article comprehensively examines various components of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), including the anode, cathode, and membrane. To address practical challenges within this field, pragmatic solutions are proposed. The review critically assesses diverse categories of wastes suitable for Bioenergy generation, exploring the associated microorganisms, power output, key advantages, challenges, and limitations and advancements of MFC technology.
Syed Hasan Khuld, Babar Jamal Naqvi, Naeem Samoon et al.
Journal of Sustainable Environmental · 2023
This era is all about energy, humans cannot survive without energy. Conventional energy resources are not enough to fulfill the needs of energy that’s why it is necessary to find alternate energy resources that will be efficient and environment friendly. Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is one of the reasonably low costs and is considered as environment friendly It degrades the harmful substance during production of electricity.This technology helps out for the producing of electricity by using the microbes. The generation of electricity is the new form of non-renewable energy by treating of the waste water from different types of effluent. The purpose of this technology is to produce the electricity that is environment friendly and sustainable. This review is also the part of research which is also to make a comparison of different MFC feeds which have unique chemical composition and are rich of various biological species and designing. This report also contains the discussion of MFC principle, necessary components, bacteria that are responsible for electricity production. This MFC contain the different batch type of reactor and in each reactor anode and cathode are dipped for time to check the response of flow of electron. Electrodes are used for drawing the comparison data of the MFC and giving new direction for the researchers. Salt bridge or membrane is connected between the reactor for the flow of proton to the cathode side and oxygen is supplied in the cathode compartment.
Yuting Wang, Huaxiang Chen, Xiaoda Yang et al.
Nanoscale · 2024
This work presents a bio-inspired electricity generation device, utilizing mitochondria and oxygen-carrying red blood cells (RBCs) for advancing sustainable energy technologies.
K. R. Vernon
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Section B. Biological Sciences · 1987
Synopsis The large hydro-electric schemes developed by the early 1960s now (1984/85) supply 12% of Scottish electricity demand. The pumped storage schemes contribute to the balance of production and demand but are not nett producers of electric power. Schemes remaining for development are numerous but small, in the range below 10 MW. Private development for local use is the best economic prospect for schemes below 500 kW. A rolling five-year programme of 10–15 MW per annum is suggested for the development of remaining resources. In Scottish conditions, peat does not appear to be a viable alternative to diesel power. Wave power is practicable, but probable costs are too high to justify investment at present. Wind power is promising, especially for island sites, but not as a complete replacement for diesel. Developments since 1980 include a successful small machine on Fair Isle and machines at 250 and 300 kW on Orkney where a 3 MW generator is being erected. A 750 kW machine has been ordered for Shetland.
D T Edmonds
Electricity and Magnetism in Biological Systems · 2001
Abstract An ionic coport is a trans-membrane protein or group of proteins that uses the drop across the cell membrane of the electrochemical potential of one type of ion to power the transfer of a second type of ion across that membrane in the same direction but against its trans-membrane electrochemical potential gradient. Any such simultaneous transfer can only occur spontaneously if the Gibbs free energy of the combined process falls, as described in Appendix 3. For definiteness we consider a coport that uses the transfer of the cation X + across the membrane, resulting in a change − ΔµX in its electrochemical potential, to power the transfer of another type of cation Y + across the membrane in the same direction when the change in its electrochemical potential is Δ+ µY .
Amey Kulkarni, Amit Breed
International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management · 2020
Rapid consumption of renewable energy resources has led to development of an alternative source of energy. Fuel cell technology is a reliable and sustainable source of energy which was developed. Microbial fuel cell is a type which uses active micro-organisms as catalysts for production of electricity. The micro-organisms degrade the organic substrate to release protons and electrons which generate a potential difference across the cell. Our study focused on the generation of electricity from human urine using microbial fuel cell system. Specific bacteria were used as inoculum at anaerobic anode chamber and salt solution was supplied at aerobic cathode. The chambers were connected using salt bridge which would facilitate ion transfer. This made the system cost effective. The potential difference generated was measured using digital multi-meter.
Andrea Colantoni, Luciano Ortenzi, Alessandro Lops et al.
Preprints.org · 2023
The aims of this paper can be traced back to goals number seven, twelve and thirteen introduced by Agenda 2030, namely &quot;affordable and clean energy&quot;, “responsible consumption and production” and &quot;climate action”, respectively. This is due to the fact that the present work supports decarbonization processes acting in a direct way on the electricity consumption achieved by plants pertaining to the waste industry; in fact, this study aims at the realization of a machine learning model for predicting the energy consumption achieved by a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) waste plant located in central Italy, given the distribution of the entering waste. This model is implemented in MATLAB. The model can be used to tune the distribution of the entering waste in order to adapt the plant energy consumption to the capability of the energy sources and can serve as a play-ground model for other energy transformation plants. The results of the study, which feed the literature on the application of artificial intelligence to real industrial plants, could be used to determine energy efficiency actions that could be incorporated into Property’s strategic planning.
Sam J. England, Daniel Robert
Biological Reviews · 2022
ABSTRACT Electricity, the interaction between electrically charged objects, is widely known to be fundamental to the functioning of living systems. However, this appreciation has largely been restricted to the scale of atoms, molecules, and cells. By contrast, the role of electricity at the ecological scale has historically been largely neglected, characterised by punctuated islands of research infrequently connected to one another. Recently, however, an understanding of the ubiquity of electrical forces within the natural environment has begun to grow, along with a realisation of the multitude of ecological interactions that these forces may influence. Herein, we provide the first comprehensive collation and synthesis of research in this emerging field of electric ecology. This includes assessments of the role electricity plays in the natural ecology of predator–prey interactions, pollination, and animal dispersal, among many others, as well as the impact of anthropogenic activity on these systems. A detailed introduction to the ecology and physiology of electroreception – the biological detection of ecologically relevant electric fields – is also provided. Further to this, we suggest avenues for future research that show particular promise, most notably those investigating the recently discovered sense of aerial electroreception.
D T Edmonds
Electricity and Magnetism in Biological Systems · 2001
Abstract In this chapter it is shown that a time-varying magnetic field will give rise to a time-varying electric field and a time-varying electric field will give rise to a time-varying magnetic field. Thus when the fields vary with time it is no longer possible to separate electricity and magnetism as was possible for static fields. Faraday’s law, which governs the generation of an electric field by a time-varying magnetic field, will give rise to electric fields in the form of closed loops which can penetrate conductors, unlike the static electric fields dealt with in Chapter 2. Thus the generation of an electrical current within a living biological cell is often accomplished by applying an external time-varying magnetic field. The realization that a time-varying electric field will generate a magnetic field enabled James Clerk Maxwell to formulate a set of equations called the Maxwell equations that govern electric and magnetic fields under any circumstances.
D T Edmonds
· 2001
Abstract Our understanding of biological functions is rapidly approaching the molecular level. On this scale the only significant forces are electromagnetic, so that ultimately all living processes must be understood in terms of electromagnetic fields and forces. The first half of the present book deals with the theory of electromagnetism using a descriptive and geometrical approach suited to students of biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, and including biologically relevant examples where possible. The second half contains biological topics which can serve as applications of the theory for students of chemistry or biology, or as an introduction to biology for students trained in the physical sciences who wish to migrate to biology. Topics include the properties of water and ions in bulk solution and in narrow pores, the Debye Layer, possible mechanisms for a magnetic animal compass, an electrostatic model of a proton/ion counterport, and the semi-classical theory of nuclear magnetic resonance.
Fatlinda Shaqiri, Ralf Korn, Hong-Phuc Truong
Electricity · 2023
We have developed a conventional benchmark model for the prediction of two days of electricity consumption for industrial and institutional customers of an electricity provider. This task of predicting 96 values of 15 min of electricity consumption per day in one shot is successfully dealt with by a dynamic regression model that uses the Seasonal and Trend decomposition method (STL) for the estimation of the trend and the seasonal components based on (approximately) three years of real data. With the help of suitable R packages, our concept can also be applied to comparable problems in electricity consumption prediction.
Štefan Bojnec
Energies · 2023
Here, we seek to review the relevant literature and published articles on the subjects of electricity markets, electricity prices and green energy transition [...]
Natalie Ortiz-Guerrero, Rafael González-López
Electricity · 2023
This paper presents a novel tool for electricity planning, based on an improvement of MuSIASEM (Multiscale Integrated Analysis of the Societal and Ecological Metabolism) by incorporating a new regional analysis of the electricity metabolism across levels. An analysis of Mexico illustrates this toolkit and shows that the industry sector has economic energy intensity (EEI) with 40.3 MWh/MMXN reaching a higher value than the commerce and services sector with 0.84 MWh/MMXN. Regarding the economic labor productivity (ELP) indicator (AV/h), the industrial sector with 208.5 TMXN/Kh reached a higher value than the commercial and services sector with 114.3 TMXN/Kh. Regarding the exosomatic metabolic rate (EMR), the household sector obtained 59.3 KWh/Kh, whereas the economic sector reached 2486.4 KWh/Kh. Disaggregation of the EMR indicator into economic sectors shows that the industrial sector reached 8.4 KWh/Kh and the commercial and services sector reached 0.10 KWh/Kh. The lack of complete data for the agricultural sector does not allow us to calculate EEI, ELP, and EMR indicators accurately. This innovative approach is useful for governance because it helps us to understand and reduce asymmetries across regions in terms of electricity consumption, resulting in more social equality and a better economic equilibrium across sectors and regions.
Henry Minchin Noad
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2012
During the early nineteenth-century craze for conducting kite experiments in lightning, deaths were not unheard of. Electrical physicists, meanwhile, were often shocked badly enough to collapse in the course of their work. However, the perils of electricity did not deter its proponents. Published in 1844, this enlarged collection of lectures by Henry Minchin Noad (1815–77) had proven immensely popular in earlier incarnations, eventually running to four editions and recognised as an invaluable textbook for electricians and telegraph engineers until the turn of the century. An electrical practitioner himself, Noad includes illustrated explanations of some of the most significant ideas in the field, and describes many of his own experiments, from his version of the lightning kite to a battery constructed with fifty jars and a thousand feet of wire. His work remains relevant to students in the history of science.
David O'Connor
Natural Gas & Electricity · 2016
The national policy debate over how to reduce carbon emissions while preserving the integrity of wholesale electricity markets heard a jarring message from the Northeast this summer. In a region known for first creating and then defending competition in its wholesale electricity market, the largest consuming state, Massachusetts, passed legislation that requires distribution utilities to purchase carbon‐free electricity under long‐term contracts for up to 30 percent of the state's electricity supply.
Adrian L. Talamantes, Alex Blomfield
Natural Gas & Electricity · 2015
In a major step toward the implementation of a modern and competitive wholesale electricity market in Mexico (the “Wholesale Market”), on September 8, 2015, the Secretaría de Energía (SENER) published the first set of regulations establishing the Wholesale Market's design and operating principles, and governing the marketing of electricity, ancillary services, renewable energy certificates (RECs), installed capacity, and congestion revenue rights (collectively, the “Market Protocols”). SENER intends to publish practice manuals and operating guidelines by the end of 2015 to instruct market participants and further implement the Wholesale Market. 1
Jeff D. Makholm
Natural Gas & Electricity · 2017
Electricity markets have problems. In the August 2017 edition of this newsletter, I wrote about “Electricity Deregulation Under Siege,” where various regulators, from the United Kingdom to New York, have proposed restrictions on retail power supply competition. In December 2016, I wrote about how the intersection of gas and electricity systems causes its own problems in power markets around the world.
Natural Gas & Electricity · 2017
Current market measures show generally good news for end‐users in prices, increases in natural gas and renewables, and decreases in coal and nuclear.
Benjamin Schlesinger
Natural Gas & Electricity · 2016
As an energy form, natural gas enjoys unique cost and environmental advantages—it's free of sulfur, particulates, and most other air contaminants; is plentiful at low prices; and emits the least carbon of any carbon fuel.
Thomas Russo
Natural Gas & Electricity · 2018
Back in May 2015, I presented a paper 1 in Houston on the resilience of natural gas and oil pipelines and their relationship to the power sector. The audience was polite, but few people were interested in resilience. How things have changed!
Zoran Marinšek, Sašo Brus, Gerhard Meindl
Electricity · 2024
The current formal common denominator of the electricity supply system in Europe has been the Harmonized Electricity Market Role Model (HEMRM) set up by ENTSO-E, ebIX, and EFET at the turn of the millennium; it introduced the concept of de-coupling and the vertical structuring of the system into the previously vertically integrated system. Since then, within demonstration projects, the system has been undergoing further changes in a controlled environment, generating bottom-up energy, caused by new technologies, business models, and new players, and extending the concept of the system to the level of energy communities and prosumers. Therefore, this paper proposes a coherent approach to the extension of HEMRM to the lowest levels in both the grid and market segments—full harmonization. This entails further structuring of both segments downwards and applying the principles of vertically nested subsystems—a system of systems approach—to a unit functional level of the electricity system, which can be the prosumer itself. At the lowest levels, the de-coupled system becomes coupled; additionally, it cross-sects with other energy vectors. Complete harmonization reduces the number of system and market segments and represents system standardization, leading to both subsystem and system-wide optimization. Prerequisites for it include the automated trading of flexibilities by the prosumers and implicit trading of energy transfer capacities along the distribution grids. The energy reservoirs, implicit and explicit, short-term, and long-term, play a vital role in techno-economic balancing.
Dimitrios Kontogiannis, Dimitrios Bargiotas, Aspassia Daskalopulu et al.
Electricity · 2022
Accurate electricity demand forecasting is vital to the development and evolution of smart grids as well as the reinforcement of demand side management strategies in the energy sector. Since this forecasting task requires the efficient processing of load profiles extracted from smart meters for large sets of clients, the challenges of high dimensionality often lead to the adoption of cluster-based aggregation strategies, resulting in scalable estimation models that operate on aggregate times series formed by client groups that share similar load characteristics. However, it is evident that the clustered time series exhibit different patterns that may not be processed efficiently by a single estimator or a fixed hybrid structure. Therefore, ensemble learning methods could provide an additional layer of model fusion, enabling the resulting estimator to adapt to the input series and yield better performance. In this work, we propose an adaptive ensemble member selection approach for stacking and voting regressors in the cluster-based aggregate forecasting framework that focuses on the examination of forecasting performance on peak and non-peak observations for the development of structurally flexible estimators for each cluster. The resulting ensemble models yield better overall performance when compared to the standalone estimators and our experiments indicate that member selection strategies focusing on the influence of non-peak performance lead to more performant ensemble models in this framework.
Jeff D. Makholm
Natural Gas & Electricity · 2017
My late colleague and friend Alfred Kahn relayed how President Jimmy Carter hired him in 1977 to head the Civil Aeronautics Board to reform and ultimately deregulate the US airline industry. Accepting the job, he told a group of airline executives (to their fury), “I really don't know one plane from the other. To me they are all marginal costs with wings.” He used that term to signal his intention of reforming the industry in keeping with economic principles, uninfluenced by the romance of air travel.
Alfredo Abarca, Yuri Percy Molina Rodriguez, Cristhian Ganvini
Electricity · 2025
This research evaluates the economic feasibility of implementing smart metering (SM) systems in Peruvian electricity distribution companies, prioritizing the maximization of the benefit–cost ratio (BCR). Seven communication architectures were analyzed in four companies, considering variables such as energy losses, meter costs, and per capita consumption. The results, evaluated through economic indicators such as the net present value, internal rate of return (IRR), and BCR showed that Luz Del Sur (LDS) obtained the best results, while ADINELSA (an electrical infrastructure management company), Sociedad Eléctrica Sur Oeste (SEAL), and Electro Sur Este (ELSE) presented the worst. The combination of power line communication and general packet radio service was the most viable architecture, followed by radio frequency mesh. However, this study concludes that a massive deployment of SM in Peru is not yet economically viable because of low per capita consumption and high meter costs. Future research should consider the benefits of distributed generation and demand management, as well as evaluate new communication technologies.
Amal S. Othman, Nashwa A. Ahmed, Mona S. Elneklawi et al.
Microbial Cell Factories · 2023
Abstract Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrical energy generator that uses respiring microbes to transform organic matter present in sludge into electrical energy. The primary goal of this work was to introduce a new approach to the green electricity generation technology. In this context a total of 6 bacterial isolates were recovered from sludge samples collected from El-Sheikh Zayed water purification plant, Egypt, and screened for their electrogenic potential. The most promising isolates were identified according to 16S rRNA sequencing as Escherichia coli and Enterobacter cloacae , promising results were achieved on using them in consortium at optimized values of pH (7.5), temperature (30°C) and substrate (glucose/pyruvate 1%). Low level red laser (λ = 632.8nm, 8mW) was utilized to promote the electrogenic efficiency of the bacterial consortium, maximum growth was attained at 210 sec exposure interval. In an application of adding standard inoculum (10 7 cfu/mL) of the photo-stimulated bacterial consortium to sludge based MFC a significant increase in the output potential difference values were recorded, the electricity generation was maintained by regular supply of external substrate. These results demonstrate the future development of the dual role of MFCs in renewable energy production and sludge recycling.
Andreas Coester
· 2023
The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have increased CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions significantly. There is considerable consensus that this increase in emissions has been contributing to climate change. In order to limit global warming, a comprehensive and fast transition to lower emissions in all industrial sectors is crucial. Despite the strong increase in renewable energies capacity over the past years, there are various challenges associated with the further transition to a 100% renewable energies supply. One of the challenges is the fluctuating supply of renewable energies due to the intermitted nature of wind and sunshine. Another challenge arises from the low marginal costs of renewable energies that lead to a reduction of the electricity price, which impairs a profitable operation of both conventional and renewable energies power plants. Against this backdrop, the main question of this research is which policy scenario can ensure an economic efficient and ongoing expansion of renewable energies together with a secure level of electricity supply? The research focusses on Germany, as Germany has to find sustainable and economically feasible policy scenarios in the short-term due to its strong expansion of renewable energies and its decision to phase-out both nuclear and coal power plants.
Chinwendu Jude Echejiuba, Chimezie Jason Ogugbue, Ifeyinwa Sarah Obuekwe
Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Biologia · 2025
Azo dyes are prevalent anthropogenic compounds, making their enhanced treatment crucial in our color-saturated world. This study examined the ability of a microbial consortium, comprising Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MW584979), Enterobacter hormaechei (MW584986), Providencia stuartii (MW584987), Escherichia coli (MZ394117), and Pseudomonas xiamenensis (MW585052), to decolorize Sudan orange G in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) after determining the optimal conditions for dye decoorization using response surface methodology (RSM) and the One Factor at a Time (OFAT) method. Degradation products were analyzed using the gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy technique. The consortium achieved an 88% decolorization rate within 24 hours under the optimal conditions identified by the Central Composite Design (CCD) of RSM. These conditions, pH 7.0, temperature 35, salinity 5 g/L, and glucose concentration 10 g/L, when applied in the MFC, resulted in an enhanced decolorization rate of 92% and simultaneous electricity generation of 130 mV within 24 hours. GC-MS analysis confirmed the breakdown of the azo dye into simpler, less toxic compounds. Metabolites produced through RSM and MFC processes were identified and compared with controls using chromatography-mass spectrometry. Degradation metabolites obtained after treatment of the dye wastewater in the MFC include Cyclopentane and cyclopropylidene-2(1H)-naphthalenone which highlights the role of microbial enzymatic activity in converting complex azo dye structures into environmentally benign compounds. These results highlight the successful integration of RSM for process optimization and MFCs for enhanced biodegradation and renewable energy production. The scalability of this technique is promising, given the relatively simple and cost-effective setup of MFC systems. Moreover, the economic feasibility of large-scale deployment is enhanced by the dual benefits of wastewater treatment and renewable energy production, making it a sustainable solution for managing azo dye pollution. Article history: Received 7 August 2024; Revised 3 December 2024;Accepted 22 May 2025; Available online 25 June 2025
Damilola Adebayo
African Studies · 2025
Africa has the lowest electricity access rate in the world today. About six hundred million of its estimated 1.4 billion population (or 43 percent) are still waiting to experience reliable electricity supply, according to a recent estimate. Yet, unlike other forms of Western technological inventions, such as in communications (telegraph or the telephone) or rail transportation, historians have demonstrated that the infrastructure of large-scale electricity production made its way to Africa not long after it was developed in Europe and the United States. Electricity became a tool for modern life during the late 1870s through the work of scientists, notably Thomas Edison, who invented the incandescent bulb. By 1882, the mining city of Kimberly in South Africa had become the first African municipal area to have electric lights. Kimberly’s coal-fired central power station was also the second in the world (after Pearl Street Station, New York). Ethiopia reportedly had its first electricity generator, powered by diesel, as a gift from the German government to the emperor in the 1890s; while in Nigeria, electricity supply commenced in Lagos in 1898. In nearly all of Africa, the electrification timeline was intertwined with European colonialism. The main sites of electricity consumption during the years before the Second World War were the mines and cities where the European and African political and economic elite resided. As a result, the motives of colonial investments have been debated among scholars, and the main issues have ranged from economic exploitation to racial discrimination. The 1940s was the era of colonial development, and electricity began to gain increasing prominence in the industrial policy deliberations within the colonies. As African states approached independence, nationalists also imagined hydroelectric dams as indispensable for economic growth. Despite the optimism and grand strategies of the 1950s and 1960s, Africa’s electricity consumption per capita remains the lowest rate of any world region. African governments and international financial institutions have invested billions to increase supply capacity. However, allegations of public-sector corruption and mismanagement are prevalent. The national grid frequently collapses, load shedding is endemic, and millions of Africans often fall back on small generators. Global dialogues on climate change have also spurned an interest in exploring green alternatives, particularly solar energy, as the future of electrification in Africa.
Guendouz Dif, Atika Meklat, Abdelghani Zitouni
Basic and Applied Sciences - Scientific Journal of King Faisal University · 2023
This study aimed to analyze the whole genome of the bacterial strain PL, isolated from pond sediment, to evaluate its genetic characteristics in the degradation of waste and toxic substrates and the generation of bioelectricity. This was compared to the type strain of the bacterial species Geobacter sulfurreducens (G. sulfurreducens) (PCA) and the strain KN400. Genomic taxonomy on the TYGS platform established the affiliation of strain PL with the bacterial species G. sulfurreducens. Subsequently, a genomic study of strains PL, PCA, and KN400 was performed using various bioinformatics tools. These included the study of genes associated with functional categories (COG) through genome annotation using the RAST server, followed by gene identification using the Prokka program to discover and identify genes related to electricity production. The results of the genomic analysis of the PL strain showed that it possesses many genes necessary for generating electric current. These included genes related to the formation of thick biofilms, adhesion to the anode of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), oxidation of various substrates and environmental pollutants, and extracellular electron transfer. Overall, the obtained results indicate that the PL strain is a promising candidate for sustainable bioenergy generation. KEYWORDS bioinformatics tools, genomic analysis, geobacter sulfurreducens, MFCs, sustainable bioenergy, whole genome
Uday Sriram L, Siva Naga Raju, Chandram Karri
International Journal of Applied Power Engineering (IJAPE) · 2021
<p class="Title1">In this article, bacterial foraging optimization (BFO) algorithm is developed for single side optimal bidding strategy in an electricity market. Optimal bidding strategy is one of the important functions in the electricity market along with forecasting of the electricity price and the profit based unit commitment. The prime objective of generating company (Genco) is to maximize their profit when they participate in the bidding process. The BFO algorithm has been used to maximize the probability density function (pdf). In the second stage the BFO algorithm is again applied to maximize the profit of the suppliers. The Proposed algorithm is developed in MATLAB (Version, 2019) and tested on standard test case available in the literature. Also, the simulation results are presented and compared. It is noticed that the proposed method yields the best results in terms of profit.</p>
Raihanir Rafila Sessa, Fuji Astuti Febria
European Journal of Applied Sciences · 2025
Rubber wastewater contains many organic compounds that can pollute the environment if directly released. Likewise, paddy field mud also contains many organic compounds that can be utilized with rubber wastewater as an electricity producer through the process of breaking down organic compounds by microorganisms to produce electrons using the microbial fuel cell method. Microbial fuel cell will generate electricity while reducing waste load. This study was conducted to determine the potential of rubber wastewater and paddy field mud in the production of electricity through the process of degradation of organic matter by microorganisms. The treatment was done by combining rubber wastewater and paddy field mud with the ratio of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3. The results showed that the highest voltage production by rubber wastewater was 228.1 mV and by paddy field mud was 27.4 mV. In the treatment, the highest voltage was 75.3 mV at a ratio of 1:1. There was also a decrease in waste load in the form of COD, BOD, TAN, TSS, and pH. The isolation results on the MFC anode found 6 isolates, namely Citrobacter sp.1, Citrobacter sp.2, Citrobacter sp.3, Citrobacter sp.4, Clostridium sp., and Bacillus sp. It can be concluded in this research that rubber wastewater and paddy field mud have the potential to produce electrical energy through microbial fuel cell. It is hoped that optimization in further research on electricity production will be useful as an environmentally friendly renewable energy.
Tri Mulyono, Misto Misto, Busroni Busroni et al.
International Journal of Renewable Energy Development · 2020
In this experiment, seven single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were made and filled with various types of local agricultural soil and sediments found in irrigation channels, which were mixed with glucose and green bean sprouts mashed as nutrients for microbial survival. MFC electric power was measured every day for 35 days. Every time low electric power indicated weak microbial activity, green bean sprouts were added. The highest electric power of 118 µW (23.4 mW/m2) was observed in fuel cells filled with agricultural land planted with rice. Power density reached the range of 120–140 mW/m2, whereas the incubation time showed a maximum of 35 days. This study found that adding green bean sprouts can increase the length of the MFC cycle and strengthen the generated power up to 122 mW. ©2020. CBIORE-IJRED. All rights reserved
T. Leser, A. Baker
Beneficial Microbes · 2023
Abstract Bifidobacterium adolescentis is one of the most abundant bifidobacterial species in the human large intestine, and is prevalent in 60-80% of healthy human adults with cell densities ranging from 10 9 -10 10 cells/g of faeces. Lower abundance is found in children and in elderly individuals. The species is evolutionary adapted to fermenting plant-derived glycans and is equipped with an extensive sugar transporter and degradation enzymes repertoire. Consequently, the species is strongly affected by dietary carbohydrates and is able to utilize a wide range of prebiotic molecules. B. adolescentis is specialized in metabolizing resistant starch and is considered a primary starch degrader enabling growth of other beneficial bacteria by cross-feeding. The major metabolic output is acetate and lactate in a ratio of 3:2. Several health-beneficial properties have been demonstrated in certain strains of B. adolescentis in vitro and in rodent models, including enhancement of the intestinal barrier function, anti-inflammatory and immune-regulatory effects, and the production of neurotransmitters (GABA), and vitamins. Although causalities have not been established, reduced abundance of B. adolescentis as part of a dysbiotic colonic microbiota in human observational studies has been associated with inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac disease, cystic fibrosis, Helicobacter pylori infection, type 1 and 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and certain allergies. It is therefore reasonable to conceive B. adolescentis as a health-associated, or even health-promoting bacterial species in humans.