A team of researchers at Northwestern University has developed a new fuel cell that captures energy as microorganisms decompose soil.
The 3D-printed battery cover protrudes from the ground. Photo: Bill Yen/Northwestern University
A soil-powered battery the size of a small book offers a viable alternative to batteries in underground sensors for agriculture, Interesting Engineering reported on January 16. The new research was published in the journal Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies.
The team of experts emphasized the durability of the new fuel cell, referring to its ability to withstand different environmental conditions, including arid lands and flood-prone areas.
"These microorganisms are very abundant, they live in soil everywhere. We can use simple systems to harvest electricity from them. We won't power an entire city with this amount of electricity. But we can harvest small amounts of electricity for practical applications that require little energy," said George Wells, a member of the research team.
Chemicals from batteries can leach into the soil, so the new technology is also an environmentally friendly alternative, eliminating concerns about toxic and flammable battery components.
The new fuel cell uses carbon fabric for the anode and an inert, conductive metal for the cathode. The team applied a water-repellent material to the surface of the cathode, allowing it to operate when submerged and ensuring it dries out after being submerged.
Clean fuel cells in the lab (left) and in the ground (right). Photo: Bill Yen/Northwestern University
The fuel cell prototype worked well, generating 68 times more electricity than needed to run its sensors. The cell was also rugged enough to survive large fluctuations in soil moisture. The team also connected the soil sensor to a small antenna for wireless communication, allowing the fuel cell to transmit data to a nearby base station. Notably, the new fuel cell not only works in both dry and wet conditions, but it also lasts about 120 percent longer than similar technologies.
“The number of devices in the Internet of Things is constantly growing. If we imagine a future with trillions of these devices, we cannot manufacture them all with lithium, heavy metals and toxic substances that are dangerous to the environment,” said Bill Yen, who led the new research.
“We need to find alternatives that can provide small amounts of energy to run a decentralized network of devices. To find a solution, we have been working on soil microbial fuel cells, which use special microorganisms to break down soil and provide this small amount of electricity to the sensors. As long as there is organic carbon in the soil for the microorganisms to break down, the fuel cell can last indefinitely,” Yen concluded.
Thu Thao (According to Interesting Engineering )
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