Valoración de sustratos vegetales, nitratos y plomo para maximizar la producción de bioelectricidad en celdas de combustible microbiano.

Abstract

This research was based on vegetable substrates with fruits, nitrates and lead valuation in order to maximize the production of bioelectricity from the reactivation of microbial fuel cells (MFC) of simple configuration. The objective was to assess the voltage produced and propose the best configuration by using moorland soil from Chimborazo fauna production reserve fauna, located at 4000 m above sea level with a sampling of 5 points, a depth of 20 cm to 40 cm on the grassy brush plant cover. The analysis of soil, pH, conductivity and temperature was carried out as well as copper electrodes and fiberglass fabric of carbon electrodes were tested for monitoring, where the best producer and conductor of electrons were the copper electrodes. Based on this preamble, the microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were reactivated by using 3 substrates, with a control blank or without substrate, determining the influence of the substrates on the electrogenic microorganisms. The substrates were vegetables with fruits, nitrates and lead with a greater efficiency with respect to the control blank or MFC without substrates, it was monitored for 15 days in a concentration of 1000 parts per million (ppm). Through this process, the 3 substrates used in this research were evaluated, the substrate which generated a greater amount of bioelectricity was vegetables and fruits with a value of 0.42 V, then the lead with a value of 0.34 V and finally the nitrate substrate with a value of 0.14V. Finally, the best microbial fuel cell configuration is proposed for the maximum bioelectricity production, reactivating the cell with the fruit and vegetable substrates, using the copper electrodes as anode and cathode. Achieving that the bioelectricity production is maximized with a new monitoring of 7 days, producing 0.51V, a higher value than the previous trials.