Development of Soil Microbial Fuel Cell for Continuous Real-time Monitoring of Soil Data

Abstract

The planet is getting hotter due to human activities that release greenhouse gases. Promoting renewable energy, which doesn’t emit carbon, can help mitigate global warming. Farmland, which covers a large portion of the Earth’s land area, can also be used as an energy source through the help of indigenous microorganisms in the soil that transform chemical energy into electrical energy with electrolysis. Real-time monitoring of soil nutrients is necessary to obtain an accurate yield from crops. This is achieved with the use of sensors that are powered by the energy generated from the soil. Zinc and copper electrodes are used to generate power, and a combination of 15x6 cells is used to maximize voltage and current generation. The output powers soil sensors like FC-28 and NPK sensors, and the data is sent to the AWS cloud for real-time monitoring of soil parameters. The experimental results show that a single SMFC cell generates 0.6V, while a series-parallel combination generates approximately 9V. By using a current booster circuit, the efficiency of the setup can be further improved. This technology is not yet widely used in the agricultural industry, but it has the potential to help farmers conveniently monitor soil conditions by utilizing the power generated from the soil itself.