Internet of Things temperature sensor powered by bacterial fuel cells on paper

Abstract The present work deals with a frugal paper-based microbial fuel cell (PMFC) that generates an average power of 25 μW per device using Shewanella putrefaciens. Bacteria colonized on the paper matrix can be activated by readily available nutrient sources leading to instant power generation. Current study translates this technology to energize a wireless Internet of Things (IoT) sensor. A well-designed stacking of multiple cells is adopted to boost the power output. The power profile characteristics of three 10-unit PMFC configurations namely series (C1), parallel (C2), and combination of both (C3) are investigated. Attempts to directly charge a supercapacitor using serially-connected PMFC stack results in voltage reversal (VR). Hence, to harvest this microbial energy prudently, a customized power management system consisting of integrated Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) feature is deployed. This helps in interfacing the PMFCs to capture charge, boost the harvested voltage and to prevent voltage reversal (VR). Power harvested from PMFCs is stored into a supercapacitor in order to drive the wireless IoT sensor module, which in turn measures temperature and communicates the data to a smart phone. The current endeavours can pave the way for “bacteria powered IoT devices” by unlocking the potential of microbes through PMFCs.

[1]  P. Cañizares,et al.  Towards the scale-up of bioelectrogenic technology: stacking microbial fuel cells to produce larger amounts of electricity , 2017, Journal of Applied Electrochemistry.

[2]  Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Towards the Implementation of IoT for Environmental Condition Monitoring in Homes , 2013, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[3]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  A paper-based microbial fuel cell: instant battery for disposable diagnostic devices. , 2013, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[4]  Silviu Folea,et al.  Analysis of Three IoT-Based Wireless Sensors for Environmental Monitoring , 2017, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement.

[5]  Suki Kim,et al.  Temperature and Humidity Sensor Powered by an Individual Microbial Fuel Cell in a Power Management System , 2015, Sensors.

[6]  Mihai T. Lazarescu,et al.  Design of a WSN Platform for Long-Term Environmental Monitoring for IoT Applications , 2013, IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems.

[7]  Tae-Young Kim,et al.  Concurrent Control of Power Overshoot and Voltage Reversal with Series Connection of Parallel-Connected Microbial Fuel Cells , 2016 .

[8]  Fei Zhang,et al.  Energy extraction from a large-scale microbial fuel cell system treating municipal wastewater , 2015 .

[9]  Ioannis Ieropoulos,et al.  Controlling for peak power extraction from microbial fuel cells can increase stack voltage and avoid cell reversal , 2014 .

[10]  D. Das,et al.  A flexible and disposable battery powered by bacteria using eyeliner coated paper electrodes. , 2017, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[11]  Derek R. Lovley,et al.  Bug juice: harvesting electricity with microorganisms , 2006, Nature Reviews Microbiology.

[12]  B. Logan,et al.  Assessment of Microbial Fuel Cell Configurations and Power Densities , 2015 .

[13]  Chris Melhuish,et al.  Waste to real energy: the first MFC powered mobile phone. , 2013, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[14]  F. J. del Campo,et al.  Microfluidic fuel cells on paper: meeting the power needs of next generation lateral flow devices , 2014 .

[15]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  A Multianode Paper-Based Microbial Fuel Cell: A Potential Power Source for Disposable Biosensors , 2014, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[16]  Philip K. T. Mok,et al.  Design of Transformer-Based Boost Converter for High Internal Resistance Energy Harvesting Sources With 21 mV Self-Startup Voltage and 74% Power Efficiency , 2014, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[17]  Shuiliang Chen,et al.  Strategies for optimizing the power output of microbial fuel cells: Transitioning from fundamental studies to practical implementation , 2019, Applied Energy.

[18]  Ioannis Ieropoulos,et al.  From single MFC to cascade configuration: The relationship between size, hydraulic retention time and power density , 2016 .

[19]  Junyeong An,et al.  Occurrence and implications of voltage reversal in stacked microbial fuel cells. , 2014, ChemSusChem.

[20]  Miloje S. Radenkovic,et al.  Intelligent energy harvesting scheme for microbial fuel cells: Maximum power point tracking and voltage overshoot avoidance , 2017 .

[21]  Aijie Wang,et al.  Building electrode with three-dimensional macroporous interface from biocompatible polypyrrole and conductive graphene nanosheets to achieve highly efficient microbial electrocatalysis. , 2019, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[22]  B. Logan.  Exoelectrogenic bacteria that power microbial fuel cells , 2009, Nature Reviews Microbiology.

[23]  Paulina Jaramillo,et al.  Internet of Things: Energy boon or bane? , 2019, Science.

[24]  B. Logan,et al.  Electricity-producing bacterial communities in microbial fuel cells. , 2006, Trends in microbiology.

[25]  Sang-Eun Oh,et al.  Voltage reversal during microbial fuel cell stack operation , 2007 .

[26]  Edgar Sanchez-Sinencio,et al.  Power Management System With Integrated Maximum Power Extraction Algorithm for Microbial Fuel Cells , 2015, IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion.

[27]  Sarmad Ullah Khan,et al.  Future Internet: The Internet of Things Architecture, Possible Applications and Key Challenges , 2012, 2012 10th International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology.

[28]  Stefano Freguia,et al.  Microbial fuel cells: methodology and technology. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[29]  Rajeev Piyare,et al.  Plug into a Plant: Using a Plant Microbial Fuel Cell and a Wake-Up Radio for an Energy Neutral Sensing System , 2017, 2017 IEEE 42nd Conference on Local Computer Networks Workshops (LCN Workshops).

[30]  Bruno Allard,et al.  Optimal Energy Harvesting From Serially Connected Microbial Fuel Cells , 2015, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics.

[31]  Bruno Allard,et al.  Voltage balancing circuit for energy harvesting from a stack of serially-connected Microbial Fuel Cells , 2013, 2013 IEEE ECCE Asia Downunder.

[32]  Gerard C. M. Meijer,et al.  The temperature characteristics of bipolar transistors fabricated in CMOS technology , 2000 .

[33]  I. Chang,et al.  Self-recoverable voltage reversal in stacked microbial fuel cells due to biofilm capacitance. , 2017, Bioresource technology.

[34]  Debabrata Das,et al.  Instant power generation from an air-breathing paper and pencil based bacterial bio-fuel cell. , 2015, Lab on a chip.

[35]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  Bacteria-powered battery on paper. , 2014, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[36]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  An origami paper-based bacteria-powered battery , 2015 .

[37]  Milutin Radonjic,et al.  The IoT Architectural Framework, Design Issues and Application Domains , 2017, Wirel. Pers. Commun..

[38]  Biswajit Mishra,et al.  IoT enabled environmental monitoring system for smart cities , 2016, 2016 International Conference on Internet of Things and Applications (IOTA).