From an individual perspective the charging of a cell phone , laptop produces no noticeable environmental harm, but when viewed from a macro perspective use of such devices demands a significant energy from the grid adding to GHG emissions.Microbial fuel cells may provide the alternative for powering such devices.As compared to fuel cells that use hydrogen as a primary fuel, microbial fuel cells use naturally occurring microbes to generate power.Bacteria are bred on the “ anode ” of a cell where they “ eat “ sewage , waste water and other organic material.These bacteria then transfer electrons to the external circuit and provide small amounts of power.For instance one square meter of microbial fuel cells can provide a watt of power enough to recharge a cell phone, and also power LEDs.
Additionally research is being pursued to identify practical methods to use microbial cells .For instance Lebônê Solutions, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, aims to use microbial fuel cells to provide power to Africans who are off the grid.Lebônê has also won a a $200,000 grant from the World Bank under the “ Lighting Africa “ scheme .
