Feasibility study on electricity production from a sewage sludge extract using microbial fuel cell

Currently, many researchers use microbial fuel cells (MFC) to produce energy from various organic matter, especially organic wastes. In this study, waste sewage sludge was used as a sole carbon source for MFC since it is recognized as the most problematic organic waste given the difficulty of its disposal. To begin with, a two-compartment MFC reactor was set up with anaerobic digestion sludge, and then its performance was stabilized and evaluated by being supplied with glucose or acetate as a sole carbon source. At the same time, various chemical and mechanical methods capable of disintegrating sewage sludge were examined in terms of dissolved organic carbon values of the extracts. Finally, the practical feasibility of this study was assessed by checking the degree of electric power production when being supplied with the sewage sludge extract as a sole carbon source.