BIOELECTRICITY PRODUCTION FROM CASSAVA MILL EFFLUENTS USING MICROBIAL FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY

A Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a biochemical-catalyzed system that generates electricity by oxidation of biodegradable organic substance in the presence of microorganisms or enzymes. Microbial fuel cell technology is a new form of renewable and sustainable technology for electricity generation as it recovers energy from renewable materials such as organic wastes and wastewaters that can constitute environmental pollution if not disposed without proper treatment. This work therefore investigated the possibility of electricity generation from cassava mill effluent using MFC. The cassava mill effluent was found to generate voltage and current to the maximum of 275 mV and 2.75 mA, respectively, corresponding to a maximum power density of 189 mW/m2. The voltage and current generation was respectively and significantly influenced with change in temperature, pH, concentration (strength) of effluent and addition of nutrient. Thus, it can be concluded that bioelectricity can directly be generated from cassava mill effluent using the MFC technology. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i2.1