ELECTRICITY GENERATION FROM MSW LEACHATE USING MICROBIAL FUEL CELL

Abstract

Rapid increase in the world population and economic development has resulted in sudden rise in the quantities
of municipal solid waste generated in most developing countries. Such wastes often get disposed unscientifically in
landfills and sometimes in dump-yards, with the percolating water producing undesirable waste soup generally called
leachate. This leachate has several adverse impacts on environment and human health, and needs to be carefully
managed and disposed. A potent use of this waste leachate is to employ it as a substrate in a microbial fuel cell. In the
present work, a dual chambered microbial fuel cell was fabricated and its potential for electricity generation was
explored under varying environmental conditions. The fuel cell comprised two chambers, one each for leachate and for
salt solution. The environmental conditions were varied by varying either the salt concentrations or by diluting the
leachate (as per dilutions expected in rainy seasons), and the electricity generation was then determined under two
conditions wherein external aeration of the salt solution was carried out in one case, and was not carried out in another
case. 8% NaCl was found to be the best salt option both technically and economically, with typical organic leachate
generating electricity to an extent of 180 mV per 2000 ml of the leachate. In view of the extra energy requirement the
aeration of salt solution was not preferred, although aeration was observed to marginally (0.1-5%) increase power
generation potential of the microbial cell. The generation of electricity through the microbial fuel cell route provides a
potent opportunity to use an environmentally undesirable waste product as a resource by upscaling the laboratory
technology in the real world.