Pemanfaatan Lumpur Aktif, Limbah Sayur dan Buah sebagai Penghasil Energi Listrik dengan Metode Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC)

Abstract

Indonesia is a rich country with the natural resources such as fossil fuels which are the main of primary energy source. The energy needs in Indonesia are increasing along with the rate of population growth, economic and technology. The electricity energy consumption is increasing which is not balanced by an increase in generating capacity resulting electrical energy crisis. The energy crisis triggered the development of alternative energy sources. One of the alternative energy that can be developed is Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). MFC is a bioelectric system that use the metabolic activity of microorganisms to breakdown the organic compounds into electrical energy. The aims of this research is to create a MFC system dual chamber by utilizing activated sludge, vegetable and fruit waste to produce electrical energy. Various types of electrodes were used using carbon, aluminum, zinc and copper electrodes, variations in the composition of the substrate using vegetable and fruit waste, activated sludge and a combination of both with a comparison of vegetable and fruit waste: activated sludge 1: 9, 2: 8 and 3: 7 with fixed mass of 1 kg, and reviewed the effect of adding vegetable and fruit substrates to the electric energy produced. The results showed that the combination of electrodes which produced the highest average power density was C-Al at 308 mW/m2. Substrate composition of vegetable and fruit waste produces the highest voltage and electric current, 1005 mV and 2.1 mA with an average of power density 642 mW/m2. Addition of 300 g vegetable and fruit substrate to activated sludge can increase the average voltage and electric current from 933 mV and 0.14 mA to 968 mV and 0.2 mA.