SBIR Phase I: Microbial Fuel Cell Optimization for Energy-Positive Wastewater Treatment

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is to develop electricity-generating wastewater treatment systems with an initial focus on food & beverage processors. The target return on investment is an average 3-year payback period on the cost of equipment and installation. Successful completion of this Phase I project will potentially pave the way towards deployment of on-site wastewater treatment infrastructure at food and beverage processing facilities. If successfully commercialized, this technology could lead to significant improvements in the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment. The objectives of this Phase I research project are to optimize the performance and durability of components used in microbial fuel cell systems. In particular, our focus is on designing low-cost anode and cathode materials that can be manufactured in large quantities. Microbial fuel cells work by growing non-genetically modified Anode Respiring Bacteria (ARB) within bioreactors. The ARB consume wastewater pollutants including sugars, starches, and proteins. As the ARB consume these pollutants, they harvest the electrons (or chemical energy) of these compounds and transfer this energy onto conductive electrodes suspended inside each module. The technology development challenges that must be overcome to enable commercialization of this technology involve proving the long-term stability of the anode and cathode materials, selecting a suitable, low-cost cathode catalyst with compatible binder, and developing practical operation and maintenance procedures to limit the accumulation of excess biofilm and salts inside the system.