Stacking of Novel 3D-Printed Hexagonal-Prism Plant Microbial Fuel Cells Growing Water Hyacinth (Pontederia Crassipes)

Abstract

Plant microbial fuel cells (PMFCs) are bio-electrochemical systems that show promise in electricity generation via the plant-microorganism reactions occurring at the rhizosphere of the plant roots. The study aims to determine the scalability of this technology by the stacking of fifteen (15) 3D-printed hexagonal multi-anode/cathode cells growing water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes); the cells are stacked to determine the extent of power amplification when multiple connections and configurations are employed. In a 30-day experiment, a branched series pattern generated the highest power (1.52 µW) and power density (5.34 µW/m²) among all arrangements. Voltage losses were more prevalent in cells stacked in series than in parallel. Power densities were much higher for cells stacked in series. Still, stacking cells in both series and parallel improved the power-generating capacity of PMFCs compared to an individual cell. Combining series and parallel connections in a clumped stack resulted in a much lower power density than the value generated by an individual cell. Differences were observed when cells were rotated to change the orientation of the connections, as switching from series to parallel caused a consistent deterioration in performance. Polarization tests revealed this clustered pattern to have the highest internal resistance, contributing to internal losses and decreased exerted power. It is hoped that the results of this study will have a significant contribution to the efforts of optimizing PMFC performance, particularly by stacking.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1109/PREE57903.2023.10370095

Journal

2023 International Conference on Power and Renewable Energy Engineering (PREE)

Year

2023