Using sludge and waste, scientists create the most efficient electricity generation system

In the Mekong Delta, there is a joint project between Kyushu University, Japan and Ho Chi Minh City National University. HCMC has the potential to change what you know about electricity generation methods.

According to an article from Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan's five national news channels, a group of scientists led by electrochemistry professor Yusuke Shiratori made a new announcement in late August: they created the most efficient way to produce electricity in the world.

According to the team, the fuel cell system powered by mud from shrimp ponds, straw and some other waste is the technology that makes miracles. The team began testing the first project in September 2016, acquiring the first solid-state fuel cell generation system in Southeast Asia in January 2018.

The experimental electricity generation system uses fuel from pond mud, straw and some other types of waste.

In the test, the biogas generated from the biomass waste source is a mixture of bagasse, copra meal and solid waste from shrimp ponds supplying to the 1kV SOFC system, creating an electricity source with an efficiency of 53.1% in temperature of 700 degrees C with fuel consumption efficiency of 69% (twice as much as a generator using a biogas engine).

The good news came again in July: the team achieved an energy efficiency level of 62.5%. Long-term efforts have allowed them to surpass the original 53% target and achieve new achievements. Typically, the efficiency of a system producing energy from methane is only 20 to 30%.

Researchers are mixing pond mud and waste.

In addition to creating a clean power source, the membrane system also helps improve the water environment, contributing to the survival rate of shrimp to 90%. In addition, the by-products from fermentation tanks when combined with rice husk and carbonized will form a nutritious fertilizer source for plants.

The new system will extend the life of shrimp ponds, and potentially expand to other farming models.