The Development of Rumen Bacteria Microbial Fuel Cell in Anaerobic Environments

Long term diagnostics and health monitoring of inaccessible sensors require strenuous power management or alternate power generation methods. Intraruminal devices can be powered with green energy using a microbial fuel cell (MFC). However, issues concerning poor steady-state power generation in anaerobic environments must be addressed. In this study, we propose a new type of structure of MFC for power generation in the rumen of cattle. Steady-state performance is evaluated with electrodes of 3 different materials. Using our proposed structure, the MFC's voltage drop in anaerobic environments is minimized, and each material electrode displayed a maximum power generation characteristic as follows: 0.4 mu W/cm(2) for gold, 0.15 mu W/cm(2) for platinum, and 0.002 mu W/cm(2) for carbon.