Bristol BioEnergy Centre

The Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC)is a technology that can directly convert organic waste into electricity. The Bioenergy and Self Sustainable Systems Theme is all about bringing this technology to the real world and making the utilisation of waste into energy a reality. Furthermore, being able to generate electricity from naturally occurring biomass, gives robots a novel degree of autonomy that allows their prolonged operation in environments that are inaccessible or even lethal to human beings.

Breaking News

The team has recently demonstrated for the first time the charging of a commercially available mobile phone, using Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) fed with real neat urine. The membrane-less MFCs were made out of ceramic material and employed plain carbon based electrodes. View the relevant scientific publication.

Watch the video of the mobile phone working on urine.

Project overview

An in-depth look into the theory and vision behind the ongoing work into energy autonomy.

Microbial fuel cell research projects

• EcoBot I
  A sugar powered autonomous robot.
• EcoBot II
  A robot powered on a diet of flies.
• EcoBot III
  A robot with fluid circulation.
• EcoBot IV
  Miniaturisation and Multiplication.
• Self Sustainable Cathodes for Microbial Fuel Cells
  Development of more sustainable MFC stack system.
• Waste and wastewater clean-up using Microbial Fuel Cells
  MFC scale-up and development of power-packs.
• Scale-up of MFC's for wastewater treatment
  MFC system capable of long-term use in a water-treatment plant.
• Microbial fuel cell stacks
  Development of MFC stacks for powering low energy applications.
• Artificial gills for robots
  MFC power generation underwater.
• Urine-tricity
  Producing Electricity from Urine.
• MFCs for Carbon Capture
  Photo-Biologically Driven CO2 Reduction & Energy Generation.
• A Robot that Decomposes
  Towards Biodegradable Robotic Organisms.
• Cathode efficiency
  The choice of the metal catalyst at the MFC cathode.

Page last updated 3 July 2014