PEE POWER (R) urinal II - Urinal scale-up with microbial fuel cell scale-down for improved lighting
PEE POWER (R) urinal II - Urinal scale-up with microbial fuel cell scale-down for improved lighting
A novel design of microbial fuel cells (MFC) fuelled with undiluted urine was demonstrated to be an efficient power source for decentralised areas, but had only been tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Hence, a field-trial was carried out to assess its feasibility for practical implementation: a bespoke stack of 12 MFC modules was implemented as a self-sufficient lit urinal system at UK's largest music festival. Laboratory investigation showed that with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 44 h, a cascade of 4 modules (19.2 L displacement volume) was continuously producing ≈150 mW. At the same HRT, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was reduced from 5586 mg COD·L−1 to 625 mg COD·L−1. Field results of the system under uncontrolled usage indicate an optimal retention time for power production between 2h30 and ≈9 h. When measured (HRT of ≈11h40), the COD decreased by 48% and the total nitrogen content by 13%. Compared to the previous PEE POWER® field-trial (2015), the present system achieved a 37% higher COD removal with half the HRT. The 2016 set-up produced ≈30% more energy in a third of the total volumetric footprint (max 600 mW). This performance corresponds to ≈7-fold technological improvement.
Off-grid sanitation, Scale-up, Urine, Sustainable energy, Microbial fuel cells, PEE POWER (R)
150-158
Walter, Xavier Alexis
67c83b61-76af-4e37-aec8-79ebc723b807
Merino-Jimenez, Irene
bf495aa1-62be-4e86-bf18-3e2c16f5b133
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, Ioannis
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
15 July 2018
Walter, Xavier Alexis
67c83b61-76af-4e37-aec8-79ebc723b807
Merino-Jimenez, Irene
bf495aa1-62be-4e86-bf18-3e2c16f5b133
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, Ioannis
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Walter, Xavier Alexis, Merino-Jimenez, Irene, Greenman, John and Ieropoulos, Ioannis
(2018)
PEE POWER (R) urinal II - Urinal scale-up with microbial fuel cell scale-down for improved lighting.
Journal of Power Sources, 392, .
(doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.02.047).
Abstract
A novel design of microbial fuel cells (MFC) fuelled with undiluted urine was demonstrated to be an efficient power source for decentralised areas, but had only been tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Hence, a field-trial was carried out to assess its feasibility for practical implementation: a bespoke stack of 12 MFC modules was implemented as a self-sufficient lit urinal system at UK's largest music festival. Laboratory investigation showed that with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 44 h, a cascade of 4 modules (19.2 L displacement volume) was continuously producing ≈150 mW. At the same HRT, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was reduced from 5586 mg COD·L−1 to 625 mg COD·L−1. Field results of the system under uncontrolled usage indicate an optimal retention time for power production between 2h30 and ≈9 h. When measured (HRT of ≈11h40), the COD decreased by 48% and the total nitrogen content by 13%. Compared to the previous PEE POWER® field-trial (2015), the present system achieved a 37% higher COD removal with half the HRT. The 2016 set-up produced ≈30% more energy in a third of the total volumetric footprint (max 600 mW). This performance corresponds to ≈7-fold technological improvement.
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Published date: 15 July 2018
Keywords:
Off-grid sanitation, Scale-up, Urine, Sustainable energy, Microbial fuel cells, PEE POWER (R)
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 454422
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454422
ISSN: 0378-7753
PURE UUID: a38ba014-6d13-42a3-a8cd-1c2b14337de6
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Date deposited: 09 Feb 2022 17:35
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:10
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Author:
Xavier Alexis Walter
Author:
Irene Merino-Jimenez
Author:
John Greenman
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