I have designed a Microbial Fuel Cell that can be 3D printed to utilize bacteria to release electrical power by oxidizing simple compounds such as glucose or complex organic matter in waste water. Not only do MFCs clean wastewater, but they also convert the organics in wastewater into carbon-neutral electrical energy. Microbial fuel cells are bio-electrochemical systems in which bacteria are used to convert chemical energy stored in organic material into electricity. The fuel cells consist of four basic parts: an anode, a cathode, proton-exchange membrane and an external circuit. The anode holds bacteria and organic material in an anaerobic environment. The protons and electrons meeting at the cathode combine with oxygen to create water. At this point, the emphasis would be on building and manipulating the variables to maximize amount of energy produced by the MFCs. The project could be easily expanded to explore the practical uses and storage of the energy produced at a later date.

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