Enhanced Fuel Cells From Wastewater Treatment (Bacteria Generated System) as a Renewable Energy Source

ABSTRACT: Microbial fuel cells (MFC's) use metabolic reactions inside bacteria as a source of electrons. Wastewater treatment processes with MFC's employ bacteria to generate electrical power produced as they breakdown organic materials captured from wastewater. FTL Labs Corporation (FTL) proposes a powerful new enabling technology for wastewater power generation using high-capacity flow-through microbiological fuel cells developed and proven in the laboratory of Dr. Caitlyn Butler, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst."ElectroSeptic"is based on technology that has been tested at the milliliter level in the laboratory, 50-liter level in the field, and scalable to the 100 gallon per day level in the Phase I program. ElectroSeptic has been created with real-world return-on-investment as a primary design goal. Excellent performance is achieved through a self-optimizing bio-electrode approach and innovative flow-entrained charge transfer. ElectroSeptic sequesters nitrogen and extracts energy from the wastewater continuously emanating from human populations. BENEFIT: The proposed technology, when implemented, will allow a significant enhancement in microbial fuel cells for simultaneous power generation and wastewater treatment. In addition to this important application to the U.S. Department of Defense, civilian markets such as unattended latrines and off-grid power generation may develop as a significant market for the resultant technologies. In applications that require mature, fieldable, and effective wastewater fuel cells, FTL Labs"s (FTL"s) ElectroSeptic wastewater power generation technology can find a growing market.