Rooted in Innovation - Empowering Today’s Youth to Meet Tomorrow’s Challenges

Source: Lily Johnson | · CALGARY YOUTH SCIENCE FAIR · | March 19, 2023

A power management system that harvests and utilizes sustainable and renewable energy from plant microbial fuel cells.

Climate change is one of the most significant problems facing our world today. Environmental disasters caused by climate change constantly threaten the human population and the earth's wellness. More must be done to stop the earth's warming, and sustainable and renewable energy should be at the forefront of this effort. Plant microbial fuel cells (PMFCs) are a natural and renewable way to produce energy sustainably without harming the plants or the environment. A plant microbial fuel cell is a bioelectrochemical device that captures chemical energy from bacteria in a plant's rhizosphere and converts it into electrical energy through electrodes within a circuit. The main issue with a PMFC is the small power output they produce, so a way of managing that power needs to be addressed. Multiple PMFCs put in series is a way to produce more voltage. Connecting a rechargeable battery to a PMFC stack is a way of harvesting the energy of the PMFC over time and recharging the battery with the electrical energy created by the PMFC. A further step in connecting the batteries in a series and using a DC/DC 3V to 5V step-up converter to the circuit creates even more electrical energy to power electronic devices such as charging a cell phone. PMFCs are a sustainable and renewable energy source capable of providing energy on a larger scale when combined with a power management system.