The Kurchatov Institute developed microbial fuel cells.
The Kurchatov Institute National Research Center has developed innovative microbial fuel cells that can be used in various IoT devices. For example, in field sensors for monitoring the state of water, soil and air. Such sensors can operate autonomously for a long time, without requiring maintenance, they write, "Izvestia".
“We created the first prototype - a sensor capable of measuring several parameters at once: temperature, pressure, humidity. It uses autonomous power supply and transmits information every half hour, more often for urban services it is usually not necessary, ”said Pavel Gotovtsev, deputy head of the department of biotechnology and bioenergy of the NBICS technology complex at the Kurchatov Institute.
January 1, 2018 in the scientific journal Robotics published a scientific article "Energy sources based on bioenergy for mobile autonomous robots" , the lead author of which is Pavel Gotovtsev. In addition to him, among the authors are other employees of the department of biotechnology and bioenergy and the laboratory "Robotics" of the Kurchatov Institute, as well as the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms named after GK Skryabin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It briefly describes various designs of fuel cells for autonomous robots, including fuel cells using microorganisms.
Last year, an article on microbial fuel cells by Pavel Gotovtsev and his colleagues was published in the journal Russian Nanotechnologies (doi articles: 10.1134 / S1995078017010098). This article describes the properties of a bioelectrode formed by the immobilization of bacterial cells Gluconobacter oxydans on "superfine carbon material" (CSM).
Gluconobacter oxydans is an obligate aerobic that uses oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor when breathing. This acetic acid bacterium is characterized by incomplete oxidation of a wide range of carbohydrates and alcohols, not pathogenic for humans and other animals, is present in mature fruits, fruits, cider, beer, wine.
Experiments have shown that fuel cells with bacteria on the electrode are quite efficient. Prototypes have already been created, and in three to five years it is planned to begin pilot tests of the system in urban environments. After that, nothing prevents the production of the same environmental sensors with microbial fuel cells on an industrial scale: “In the future, we will be able to place such sensors in rain collectors or in the soil. They will monitor the state of water and air pollution of the territory. You can use simple chemical sensors for this. ”
According to the developers, one sensor system (several sensors and a battery on biofuel) will cost up to 10 thousand rubles. Each sensor can track the condition of the soil within a radius of several meters.
Environmentalists enthusiastically embraced the initiative of the Kurchatov Institute for the production of environmental sensors. For example, Director of the Conservation Policy of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Eugene Schwartz cites the example of the industrial American city of Pittsburgh - “the city of coal and steel”, always immersed in a cloud of smog. The situation changed when they introduced an automatic system for monitoring environmental indicators.
Pittsburgh in the 1930s and now. Photo: Getty Images, Thinkstock
In just ten years, this system has made it possible to make a blooming city out of Pittsburgh's “gasping”: “At the same time, enterprises that exceed the emission allowance pay those who have reduced pollution. With the help of environmental monitoring technologies created at SIC, this can be done, ”says Yevgeny Schwartz. He says that such experience can be applied, for example, in Russian Chelyabinsk and other cities that suffer from environmental degradation. Through the quota system, environmental innovations are financially encouraged — money flows here, which means business and personnel are attracted.
In addition, sensors connected to the Internet will promptly warn about possible leaks of harmful reagents from industrial enterprises, which will allow them to quickly respond to emerging environmental threats.
“We created the first prototype - a sensor capable of measuring several parameters at once: temperature, pressure, humidity. It uses autonomous power supply and transmits information every half hour, more often for urban services it is usually not necessary, ”said Pavel Gotovtsev, deputy head of the department of biotechnology and bioenergy of the NBICS technology complex at the Kurchatov Institute.
January 1, 2018 in the scientific journal Robotics published a scientific article "Energy sources based on bioenergy for mobile autonomous robots" , the lead author of which is Pavel Gotovtsev. In addition to him, among the authors are other employees of the department of biotechnology and bioenergy and the laboratory "Robotics" of the Kurchatov Institute, as well as the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms named after GK Skryabin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It briefly describes various designs of fuel cells for autonomous robots, including fuel cells using microorganisms.
Last year, an article on microbial fuel cells by Pavel Gotovtsev and his colleagues was published in the journal Russian Nanotechnologies (doi articles: 10.1134 / S1995078017010098). This article describes the properties of a bioelectrode formed by the immobilization of bacterial cells Gluconobacter oxydans on "superfine carbon material" (CSM).
Gluconobacter oxydans is an obligate aerobic that uses oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor when breathing. This acetic acid bacterium is characterized by incomplete oxidation of a wide range of carbohydrates and alcohols, not pathogenic for humans and other animals, is present in mature fruits, fruits, cider, beer, wine.
Experiments have shown that fuel cells with bacteria on the electrode are quite efficient. Prototypes have already been created, and in three to five years it is planned to begin pilot tests of the system in urban environments. After that, nothing prevents the production of the same environmental sensors with microbial fuel cells on an industrial scale: “In the future, we will be able to place such sensors in rain collectors or in the soil. They will monitor the state of water and air pollution of the territory. You can use simple chemical sensors for this. ”
According to the developers, one sensor system (several sensors and a battery on biofuel) will cost up to 10 thousand rubles. Each sensor can track the condition of the soil within a radius of several meters.
Environmentalists enthusiastically embraced the initiative of the Kurchatov Institute for the production of environmental sensors. For example, Director of the Conservation Policy of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Eugene Schwartz cites the example of the industrial American city of Pittsburgh - “the city of coal and steel”, always immersed in a cloud of smog. The situation changed when they introduced an automatic system for monitoring environmental indicators.
Pittsburgh in the 1930s and now. Photo: Getty Images, Thinkstock
In just ten years, this system has made it possible to make a blooming city out of Pittsburgh's “gasping”: “At the same time, enterprises that exceed the emission allowance pay those who have reduced pollution. With the help of environmental monitoring technologies created at SIC, this can be done, ”says Yevgeny Schwartz. He says that such experience can be applied, for example, in Russian Chelyabinsk and other cities that suffer from environmental degradation. Through the quota system, environmental innovations are financially encouraged — money flows here, which means business and personnel are attracted.
In addition, sensors connected to the Internet will promptly warn about possible leaks of harmful reagents from industrial enterprises, which will allow them to quickly respond to emerging environmental threats.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/410645/