EVANSTON, Illinois – A team of researchers from Northwestern University have developed a groundbreaking soil-powered fuel cell that harnesses energy from microbes living in dirt. The new technology, about the size of a paperback book, has the potential to revolutionize underground sensors used in precision agriculture and green infrastructure. This offers a sustainable and renewable alternative to traditional batteries, which pose environmental concerns due to toxic chemicals and electronic waste.
The soil-powered fuel cell was tested to power sensors for soil moisture and touch detection, with the capacity to wirelessly transmit data to a nearby base station. The device not only worked in wet and dry conditions but also outperformed similar technologies by 120%, making it a significant step forward in sustainable energy solutions.
The study, set to be published in the Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery, showcases the research team’s commitment to open access by releasing all designs, tutorials, and simulation tools to the public. This move aims to encourage widespread use and further development of the technology, making it accessible to all communities.
The technology’s potential applications extend to precision agriculture, an increasingly popular strategy among farmers worldwide to improve crop yields. By harnessing energy from the environment, the soil-powered fuel cell offers an alternative to traditional battery or solar-powered sensors, which present challenges in dirty or expansive environments.
The research team’s experiments introduced engineering solutions to address decades-old challenges related to soil-based microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Through a two-year journey, the team developed a practical and reliable MFC by creating and comparing four different versions, with the best-performing prototype generating 68 times more power than required to operate its sensors.
The use of easily accessible materials from local hardware stores, as well as plans for developing a fully biodegradable version of the soil-based MFC, underscores the team’s commitment to sustainability and accessibility. This is particularly important as complex supply chains for electronics were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for local supply chains and low-cost materials in computing devices.