A review on power management systems: An electronic tool to enable Microbial Fuel Cells for powering range of electronic appliances

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) receive substantial research interest for their eco-friendly and energy conversion ability. Along with the production of electrical energy, a synergistic benefit of MFCs is also gained from their capability to reduce organic contaminant load in polluted water. The sub-categories of MFCs such as Sediment MFC and Plant MFC also have great prospects for bioremediation and energy conversion processes. However, the efficiency of these renewable energy-producing systems needs significant improvement for their real world application through commercial paradigm. This review mainly focuses on the power management systems (PMSs) that can be used in conjunction with the MFCs to improve its energy output for powering various ranges of electronic appliances. A PMS is a device that is constituted of some electronic components to work together in order to convert a low electrical input into a utilizable power output. The basic configuration of PMS mainly entails a charge pump, a supercapacitor, and a boost converter. Integration of these basic power management systems enables the enhancement of the output characteristic of MFCs to intermittently power small-scale appliances.