Haluk BeyenalA team of researchers at Washington State University (WSU) has successfully tested a microbial fuel cell that collects electrons from microbes during the biological processes that occur in agricultural wastewater lagoons and then converts that to small bursts of electricity that can power an aerator. In tests, this self-powered system improved some measures of lagoon efficiency by more than 50 percent.
The research team is led by Haluk Beyenal, Ph.D., a professor in WSU’s Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering. The researchers recently published their findings, “Self-powered wastewater treatment for the enhanced operation of a facultative lagoon,” in the Journal of Power Sources.
