Potential of Bioelectricity Generation in Plant-Microbial Fuel Cells Growing House Plants

Although renewable sources of energy including geothermal, hydropower, wind, solar and biomass are utilized by the Philippines, coal-fired power plants remain the main source of electrical energy consumed by Filipino households. To lessen the nation's dependence on fossil fuels, new and innovative sources of renewable energy should be explored. Plant-Microbial Fuel Cells (PMFCs) are a promising renewable energy technology that can be used to supplement our demand for electricity. PMFCs utilize the metabolic processes of certain bacteria in the roots of a plant to generate clean electricity. This study tested the potential of generating electricity from three common house plants in a PMFC set-up: Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum), Portulaca Flower (Portulaca oleracea), and Dumb Canes (Dieffenbachia amoena). A simple set-up was prepared using low-cost materials. Open circuit voltage and current was continuously monitored to determine the power output of the PMFCs. C. comosum registered the highest maximum power density out of the three plants, at 30.39 mW/m2. The results of this study has direct implications to how house plants are kept. Instead of keeping them for aesthetics, the added value of green energy produced can be valuable for powering devices in-situ.