Sewage and waste water might not be such a waste after all. Turns out, a new type of living battery has been created and it can help generate electricity. All it has to do is feed on the organic matter found in sewage water or waste water that is washed out to sea. The efficiency of this organic battery it appears is comparable to the best performing solar cell.
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Basically, this live battery constitutes of really tiny microbes that feed on organic matter present in the sewage water for their sustenance. How does that generate electricity you ask? Well if you eat you are going to poop, which is what these microbes do, they poop electrons that in turn can be used to generate electricity. These microbes are hooked onto carbon filaments and the electron-filled poop flows from these filaments to a positive electrode that is made of silver oxide. As many of you might be aware, silver oxide is known to attract electrons.
The scientists have termed this process “fishing for electrons” because what they essentially are doing is fishing for electrons from the organic matter. These electrons that are discharged can be directed to an external circuit that is hooked on to a battery. This battery can then be used by us. These electrons would then flow to the silver oxide electrode and through a process would reduce to silver. When enough electrons are absorbed by the electrode, it would turn into a lump of silver thus stopping the flow of electrons. This lump can then be removed and oxidized to release those electrons.
The electrode can now be inserted into the battery once again and the whole process can be repeated. The Scientists working on this estimate, that nearly 30 percent of the energy present in waste water, can be harvested using this process. However, the whole thing might not be financially viable because an expensive material like silver oxide has to be used to carry out this method. Another fact that concerns scientists is that the contaminants present in the sewage or waste water might render the silver oxide electrode completely useless in the long run.
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Scientists are trying to work around all these drawbacks and their primary aim is to come up with cheaper materials that can do the job silver oxide does. Once such materials are found, it has been decided that this battery would be made available for commercial use.
