- An international team of engineers at Penn State University have designed the first of its kind microbial power cells that use acetate and saliva to generate nearly one micro-watt power sufficient to power on chip applications and in microelectronic applications.
- The general principal behind microbial fuel cells is the transfer of charge produced by breakdown of organic material to the anode. Their tiny size allows them to be used as portable sources of energy.
- Conventional microbial fuel cells usually use waste water as the source for both the organic material and the bacterial cell for generation of electricity or hydrogen. These cells however are ultra-low-power chip-level bio-medical devices able to operate at sub-micro-watt power outputs.
- Potential applications include a device predicting ovulation by measuring the conductivity of a woman’s saliva, which changes 5 days before ovulation, and powered by saliva send the reading to a nearby cell phone.
Exams Perspective:
- Portable Sources of Energy
- Electricity Generation
- Ovulation
- Saliva Powered Micro Energy Generator