Phytoplankton Power ! - Hybrid Microbial Fuel Cell

I started assembling the cells and found that the salt bridge is melting when it contacts the algae. Certainly not the worse thing that has happened, but I will need to produce a different salt bridge. We know for sure AGAR gelatin works well at room temperature but it will take a few days to get it here which is time I don't have at the moment before the 15th deadline. I was getting 1.7 volts using algae on both sides. Today I will get the nitrifying bacteria growing with some food scraps and poop , dog poop to be exact as to simulate the kinds of things a home would have avail as organic waste. I will use API live bacteria as the starting point.

Here while I had the opportunity I was showing the same electrodes in a salt bath, which is a simple salt battery for direct comparison to the micro algae water

this stuff is getting DARK!  Experts say micro algae can get so dense it looks even darker than this when light is shining through it. That’s why it is important to keep the algae moving with bubbles and a small pump so that it doesn’t sink to the bottom and starve from not getting light.

First test 6 Day Algae growth , dropped in a wire anode and cathode and we have .8 volts so far!!!! Very promising 

the salt bridge case is a bit tight to I remixed the lid of the cell and made the hole 1mm larger. Otherwise the lid fits onto the cell well with no problems.

I have been having an issure uploading pictures for my phone all of a sudden saying there is a 5mb limit so pretty much every picture has been denied, but I did grab this from a screen shot in mattercontrol for the robto 3d, this is the next print! The lids for cells and electrod holders as well. Also a whole bed full of U shaped salt bridge tubes are being printed on the other printer. These are 24 hour prints so I wont see these until tommorow after work.

This morning I popped the 3 silver filament cells off the robot 3d printer and started another set. by tomorrow Evening if all goes well I will have all 24 printed out. Then I can work on a smaller portable version. I received the  bacteria sample which is sourced from a aquarium setup and maintenance product. The much needed pure copper wire and pure zinc wire has arrived, but I only received 10 ft of the zinc when I ordered 20 foot. The rest is set to come Monday. 20 foot should be enough for at least the initial testing. I will have all 24 cells by tomorrow evening from 3d prints. They will need to be sealed with epoxy or something similar before use as 3d prints have pores that liquid could slowly come through.

I ran out of white filament, but I have a few rolls of silver hatchbox PLA that I was going to use to print a Johnny 5 robot that I never got the files for. I was expecting something bright like aluminum, this is more of a gunmetal grey. It bugs me all the parts will not match.  Once these come off the printer tommorow I will be at 19 of the 24 cells we are making.