Marie Norbertine KAMDJOU defended her PhD on May 15th, 2025.
Place : Conference room of the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 library in Villeurbanne
Jury :
Rapporteurs :
M. Christophe INNOCENT, Chargé de recherche, CNRS Montpellier
M. Pascalin TIAM KAPEN, Maître de conférences, Université de Dschang (Cameroun)
Examinateurs :
Mme Marie FRENEA, Professeure des universités, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
M. Jean Sire Armand EYEBE FOUDA, Professeur, Université de Yaoundé 1 (Cameroun)
M. Florent ROBERT, Professeur des universités, Université des Antilles
Encadrement :
M. Olivier ONDEL, Maître de conférences, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
M. Pierre TSAFACK, Professeur associé, Université de Buea (Cameroun)
M. Fabien MIEYEVILLE, Professeur des universités, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Invités:
M. Emmanuel TANYI, Professeur, Université de Buea (Cameroun)
Mme Nicole Adelaïde KENGNOU TELEM, Chargé de cours, Université de Buea (Cameroun)
Abstract :
Generating energy from biowaste has been at the helm of research given both its potential to aid in the decarbonization process and its renewable nature. However, the techniques used remain complex and non-portable, slowing down the adoption of bioenergy generation. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a technology that generates electrical energy directly from biodegradable waste. This technology utilizes the principle of conventional electrical cells. The microorganisms present in the anodic chamber break down the waste and generate electrons and protons. The electrons attach to the anode electrode to form a biofilm, while the protons pass through the membrane to join the cathodic compartment where an oxidant and the cathode electrode are present. Once a conductive wire connects the two electrodes together, the electrons begin to flow to join the protons present in the cathodic chamber, and this movement of charge carriers generates electricity. This method of electricity production is increasingly attracting researchers, and efforts made with the technology are still primarily limited to the laboratory scale, restricting its interest and utilization for electrical power generation. It is important to find ways of increasing the electrical power production of MFC in order to cover applications such as supplying low-power devices like those usually used in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), and lighting in remote areas of developing countries where local communities don’t have access to conventional electricity. The main objective of this research project is to propose a high-performance, cost-effective, and stable MFC energy production system with a simple manufacturing process. This work first focuses on the investigation into the potential of excreta (animal and human) to produce electricity through microbial fuel cell technology, while considering the factors influencing the production yield of MFC in order to improve the production and achieve optimal results. Two types of waste are specifically chosen for this purpose: cow dung and human faeces. The reactors (vessels used to carry out chemical reactions) are 3D printed using polylactic acid (PLA) material to ensure similarity, sealing, and reproducibility of results. After various characterizations, cow dung showed a better potential for electricity production through microbial fuel cell technology compared to human faeces. To afford the required energy, MFCs are put in a stack; cow dung is chosen and used for experimentation to investigate different configurations such as series, parallel, series-parallel combination, and parallel-series. The conduct of these investigations will highlight the configuration that can minimize voltage reversal, which is responsible for losses that drop down the production efficiency of MFCs when stacked together. The results show that the parallel-series combination limits losses in the stack assembly while increasing the total power of the system. This configuration can be used for small-scale MFCs to minimize losses and circumvent the use of protection circuits designed to prevent voltage return in MFC systems. To limit the costs associated with the implementation of MFCs and encourage local large-scale production of stacks, the use of concrete is investigated for the fabrication of MFC reactors. With those concrete-based reactors, in addition to demonstrating their feasibility, we achieved a maximum power density of 20.21 mW/m², which is higher than the 14.1 mW/m² obtained with the 3D-printed reactors from the first experiment. Furthermore, the production of a dual-chamber concrete-based reactor here is 5.17 times less expensive than that of the 3D-printed single chamber made with PLA plastic filament.
Keywords:
Microbial fuel cell, electricity production, biodegradable waste, polylactic acid 3D printed reactors, concrete-based reactors, stack configuration of MFCs
Publications :
Marie Norbertine Kamdjou Douma, Olivier Ondel, Pierre Tsafack, Fabien Mieyeville, Nicole Adélaïde Kengnou 2025. Microbial fuel cell: Investigation of the electrical power production of cow dung and human faeces using 3D-printed reactors Bioresource Technology Reports , 29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2025.102036
Marie Norbertine Kamdjou Douma, Musong Louis Katche, Nicole Adelaïde Kengnou Telem, Ayuk Ngang Valdo Ayuk, Pierre Tsafack, Olivier Ondel, Fabien Mieyeville 2025. Concrete-Based Dual-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell for Continuous Power Generation American Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems , 14, 10.11648/j.epes.20251401.12