3D Printed Microfluidic Microbial Fuel Cell Stack for Portable Electricity Production

Human civilization faces major challenges regarding sustainable energy production. Biomass, such as agricultural waste, is an abundant source of underutilized chemical energy, and therefore, has potential to replace or supplement fossil fuel use in the future. Currently, an effective way to convert biomass to energy is through a microbial fuel cell (MFC), a type of biofuel cells utilizing bacteria to convert the chemical energy of biomass directly into electrical energy. However, current MFCs produce too little power to be useful in practical applications. One potential solution is to miniaturize and stack many MFCs together for high power production. In this thesis a new stack design fabricated with the help of an advanced 3D printing technology is presented, different electrode materials are tested and the different performances are characterized. Also an innovative electrode has been designed but without being able to be fabricated with the standard technology available.