ANALYSIS OF VOLTAGES FROM

JACKFRUIT (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

PEELINGS AND CARABAO (Bubalus
bubalis carabanesis) MANURE POWERED
TWO-CHAMBER MICROBIAL FUEL
CELL

Ramon Florentino L. Santos

Dick Dazzle P. Mercado

Quezon City Science High School

(Regional Science High School for the National Capital Region, Philippines)

An official entry to the

International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering, Environment) Project Olympiad

Noel P. Diaz
Research Supervisor
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
ABSTRACT 2
INTRODUCTION 3
Background of the Study 3
General objectives 4
Specific objective 4
Statement of the Problem 4
Hypothesis 4
Significance of the Study 5
Scope and Limitations 5
Review of Related Literature 6
Microbial Fuel Cell 6
Carabao Manure (Bubalus bubalis carabenesis) 7
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) 8
MATERIALS AND METHODS 10
Flowchart 10
General Procedure 11
RESULTS 13
Pure Water 13
Setup 1: 100% Carabao Manure 14
Setup 2: 75% Carabao Manure, 25% Jackfruit Peelings 15
Setup 3: 50% Carabao Manure, 50% Jackfruit Peelings 16
Setup 4: 25% carabao manure, 75% jackfruit peelings 17
Setup 5: 100% Jackfruit Peelings 18
DISCUSSION 19
CONCLUSION 20
ACKNOWLEDGMENT 21
RECOMMENDATIONS 22
BIBLIOGRAPHY 23
APPENDICES 25
Photo Documentation 25
Experimental Design Diagram 27
Voltages Generated by the SETUPS 28
SETUP Properties 30
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) 32
LIST OF FIGURES 35

1
 ABSTRACT

These past years, lack of electricity has been a major problem, especially in some rural
and poor urban locations. Some places have either limited electricity or none at all. Thus, several
efforts were already made to discover new ways of harvesting electricity so as to increase its
availability. One of these is the use of two-chamber Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC), which offers a
relatively cheap and pollution-free electricity source. Because of its potentials, researchers have
aimed in improving its design and efficiency. The latter point was tackled to find out if varying
the composition of the substrate, the jackfruit peelings-carabao manure mixture, could increase
the MFC’s efficiency.
In the experiment, the researchers made an MFC that harvested electrical energy from
carabao manure and jackfruit peelings. Jackfruit peelings-carabao manure mixtures whose
composition varied from one another were placed in the anode chamber of the MFC while a salt
solution was placed in the cathode chamber. The voltages produced were then measured using a
digital multimeter.
Using the data gathered, it was concluded that there was a significant difference between
the voltages across the MFC setups. Highest mean voltage was produced by the 100% carabao
manure setup while the 100% jackfruit peelings setup produced the least. Based on the student-
researchers’ analysis, however, there was a stabilizing and positive effect in adding jackfruit
peelings since the 75% carabao manure and 25% jackfruit peelings setup exhibited voltage
values that were stable and has an increasing general trend.

2
 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Almost all things needed by the society use electricity to function such as cars, cell
phones, televisions and computers. In the Philippines, despite the presence of several power
plants, lack of electricity in most rural areas and some poor urban locations is a major problem.
This cannot be prevented but can be lessened by future researches on other ways of harvesting
electricity and making existing methods more efficient and reliable.

One way of harvesting energy from biological sources is by means of the Microbial Fuel
Cell (MFC) which uses bacterial action on organic matter to produce electricity. With immense
potential and possibly unexplored organic material around the Philippines, the MFC technology
could be well developed. This idea made other researchers find a way to improve it by changing
their subjects and methods for more efficient products. A possible way is the use of carabao
(Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings as
substrates for a simple two-chamber Microbial Fuel Cell.

Carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure is a useful organic fertilizer, containing 18.5
% nitrogen, 43.7 % phosphoric acid, and 9.6 % potash. It is also a good source of fuel either as
dried dung, or in generating biogas or methane (Tacio, 2007). However, an undiscovered
boundary is its possible use as a substrate for an MFC, considering that its other peers such as
cow manure has been developed as such.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is extremely popular throughout Southeast Asia,

including the Philippines. After they are eaten, their peelings are usually thrown away. However,
jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings may be used as organic fertilizer, like carabao
manure. And like the latter, it hasn’t been used as a substrate in an MFC.

In connection to those statements, the proponents of the group aimed to harvest electricity
from mixtures of varying concentrations of carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure and
jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings in an MFC, keeping in mind the goal to find a more
efficient electricity source. With the different setups, the group could analyze the voltages

3
produced, and on such analysis, identify a more efficient way of producing electricity from
MFCs.

General objectives:

 To produce electricity from jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings and carabao

(Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure in a two-chamber MFC
 To test the feasibility of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings and carabao
(Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure as substrates in a two-chamber MFC

 To determine how much voltage the MFC could produce

Specific objective:

 To test whether the change in concentration of mixtures would make the MFC more
efficient in producing electrical energy

Statement of the Problem

A. Can jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peeling-carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
manure mixtures be more efficient electricity source?
B. What are the effects of various jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peeling-carabao
(Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure mixtures as substrates for a two-chamber Microbial
Fuel Cell?
C. Does the changing concentrations of the carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure and
jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings in a two-chamber Microbial Fuel Cell more
efficient?

Hypothesis
If varying concentrations of the carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure and
jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings affected the voltages produced, then at least
one of the MFCs showed evidences of being more efficient.

Ho: There was no significant difference in the voltages generated by the setups
Ha: There was a significant difference in the voltages generated by the setups

4
 Significance of the Study
The Philippines is currently encountering energy problems in some unprivileged areas.
There are places in which they only have electricity for 12 hours every day and some actually do
not have it at all. This problem gave the researchers the responsibility to find an alternative
energy source. It is necessary to be low-cost, eco-friendly, and efficient so the government could
afford this technology and use it for the betterment of the country.

The student-researchers believed that the Microbial Fuel Cell technology is a solution to
this problem. It uses organic substances, especially waste materials, and converts it to electricity.
However, this technology is somewhat given little attention in the Philippines. With this, the
researchers targeted to take a step further by conducting a research on the possibility of making
MFCs more efficient with the use of carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure and jackfruit
(Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings as substrates by varying their concentrations. This could be
well-developed in most of the rural areas where carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure
and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings abound. If the government utilizes this
technology, they could improve it and thus provide electricity to the rural areas.

Scope and Limitations

The research aimed to generate electricity from a two-chamber Microbial Fuel Cell with
carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure and blended jackfruit(Artocarpus heterophyllus)
peelings, both mixed with water to ease the experimentation process. The substrates were placed
in the anode chamber, while the electrolyte in the cathode chamber is a saturated saltwater
solution. Graphite rods obtained from Mongol® 2 pencils were used as electrodes for the MFCs.
Gelatinized nutrient agar placed inside a PVC pipe was used as the salt bridge for the MFC.
The research was strictly focused in the analysis of the electrical voltages produced and
the possible causes of the results; other factors that may have affected the electrical energy
production were not accounted for. Also, the group kept the processes that were used as simple
as possible so as to prevent further complications and to make the setups relatively easy to
replicate. The parameter that was used to measure electrical energy production was voltage
measured in volts (V). The MFCs were designed for small-scale use only.

5
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Microbial Fuel Cell

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical system that converts chemical

energy, available in a bio-convertible substrate, into electricity. To achieve this, bacteria are used
as a catalyst to convert substrate into electrons. With the posing threat of climate change, this
system is a potential alternative source of energy since it does not emit pollution.

Microbial fuel cells are not new – the concept of using microorganisms as catalysts in
fuel cells was explored from the 1970s and microbial fuel cells treating domestic wastewater
were presented in 1991. However, the power produced during those times was very low.

Figure 1.
Microbial Fuel Cell
(Retrieved from
sciencebuddies.org)

A typical microbial fuel cell consists of anode and cathode compartments separated by a
cation (positively charged ion) specific membrane. The bacteria live in the anode and convert a
substrate such as glucose (C6H12O6), acetate (C2H4O2) and waste water into Carbon Dioxide
(CO2), protons and electrons. Under aerobic conditions, bacteria use oxygen or nitrate as a final
electron acceptor to produce water. However, in the anode of a MFC, no oxygen is present and
bacteria need to switch from their natural electron acceptor to an insoluble acceptor, such as the

6
MFC anode. Due to the ability of bacteria to transfer electrons to an insoluble electron acceptor,
we can use an MFC to collect the electrons originating from the microbial metabolism.

Thus, a potential difference between the electron-rich and electron-deficient parts is

generated. The electrons can then flow through an electrical circuit with a load or a resistor to the
cathode. This results in electrical energy production.

Carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) Manure

Herbivores, such as ruminants require cellulolytic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria, in order to

make use of the food they eat and turning those foods into energy. These anaerobic bacteria can
be found in the rumen or manure of these animals.

Figure 2.Carabao (Bubalus

bubalis carabanesis) Manure
(Retrieved from uwec.edu)

In this research, the group used carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure for the
reason that carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure contains a large amount of cellulolytic
bacteria compared to cattle. The water buffalo rumen has been found to contain a larger
population of bacteria, particularly the cellulolytic bacteria, lower protozoa and higher fungi
zoospores. In addition, higher rumen ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and higher pH have been found
as compared to those in cattle (Wanapat, 2001). It was found that the applicability of real-time
PCR techniques for the quantification of cellulolytic bacterial numbers (R. albus, and R.
flavefaciens) in the digesta of swamp buffalo were higher than those in cattle. However, at 4h
R.albus were significantly higher in buffalo than those in cattle in rumen fluid, but R.
flavefaciens and f.succinogenes tended to be higher in cattle than those in buffalo, in rumen fluid.
However, the digest a sample had higher cellulolytic bacteria than those found in the rumen
fluid. This finding indicates higher ability of buffalo in digesting low-quality roughages

7
(Wanapat, 2001). This shows that carabao manure is a better source of cellulolytic bacteria than
cattle, thus making us choose this for our research. Cellulolytic bacteria has been isolated often
to get anaerobic bacteria that degrade cellulose and hemicellulose (Wahyudi, 2009; Cahyanto,
2009; Soejono, 2009; Bachruddin, 2009).

Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus and Ruminococcus flavefaciens are

presently recognized as the major cellulolytic bacterial species found in the rumen (Forster et al.,
1997; Shinkai and Kobayashi, 2007). These bacteria will be responsible for the production of
electricity in the microbial fuel cell.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a common fruit in Southeast Asia and found

occasionally in Pacific island home gardens. It is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world,
reaching 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior of
the compound fruit is green or yellow when ripe. The interior consists of large edible bulbs of
yellow, banana-flavored flesh that encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. The seed is 3/4 to
1-1/2 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick and is white and crisp within. There may be 100 or
up to 500 seeds in a single fruit, which are viable for no more than three or four days. When fully
ripe, the unopened jackfruit emits a strong disagreeable odor, resembling that of decayed onions,
while the pulp of the opened fruit smells of pineapple and banana.

8
 Trees typically reach a height of 26–82 ft and a canopy diameter of 11–22 ft at 5 years
of age. The tree grows well in equatorial to subtropical maritime climates.

Figure 3. Jackfruit (Artocarpus

heterophyllus)
(Retrieved from floridagardener.com)

According to K. Subburamu, M. Singaravelu, A. Nazar and I. Irulappan, jackfruit rind

contains 24% carbohydrate and 17.3% crude fiber. As compared to the other parts of jackfruit,
(the perianth and core meal which contains 12.7% and 15.9% crude fiber respectively), the rind
has the greatest amount of crude fiber, which is composed of cellulose, which is the 'skeleton' of
plants, hemicellulose, gums, lignin, pectin and other carbohydrates indigestible by members of
animal species other than Equidae and ruminants. Those components of the crude fiber are
readily utilized by celluloytic bacteria.

9
 METHODOLOGY

Flowchart Carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)

Manure was collected

MamaManure
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Peelings were collected
and cleaned by water
ell
peelings

Salt bridge was prepared Plastic bottles and caps were collected
and holed

Plastic Bottles were connected to the salt bridge (Two-

Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell)

Mixtures were prepared for MFC

Mixtures were placed in the MFC

MFC was connected to a digital

multimeter via copper wires

The Results were obtained and analyzed

10
General Procedure

Gather and Preparing of Materials

The carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure was collected from a farm and then
placed into a sealed container to avoid contact with air.

The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings were acquired from a wet market. The
peelings were cleaned by removing the unusable parts. Then the peelings were sliced to small
pieces as a preparation for the blending process.

Bottles of the same size and shape were obtained from local sources and were thoroughly
cleaned.

Making the Salt Bridges

The agar solution was made by dissolving 14g of nutrient agar in 500 mL of distilled
water. The solution was heated until no residues can be seen. The liquid agar solution was
then poured to 12 cm long PVC pipe whose other end was covered and tightly sealed with
aluminum foil held in place by rubber bands and scotch tape. The salt bridges were stored in
the refrigerator to slow down the degradation of the agar.

Constructing the MFC

A hole with the same diameter as the pipes was made in each of the bottles. The salt
bridge was then inserted in the hole of the plastic bottles and then secured with a glue gun
and epoxy to ensure stability and to prevent the mixtures or substances from leaking.

The pencils were soaked overnight to ease the scraping to obtain the graphite rods at the
center. A hole was cut from each of the bottle caps to allow the 2 electrodes (graphite rods)
to pass through them. They were secured with epoxy.

11
Preparing and Placing the Mixtures for the Experiment

The salt solution was made by mixing 30g of rock salt in each 100mL of distilled water.
Placed on one of the plastic bottles was 400mL of the salt solution to serve as the cathode
chamber.

The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings were blended with distilled water in the
ratio (by mass) of 1:2. The carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure was also mixed with
distilled water on the same ratio.

Those mixtures were placed in the compartments of the MFC, with their respective
concentrations depending on the setup where it would be placed. The substrate was in the
anode compartment (the negative side of the MFC), while the saltwater mixture was in the
cathode compartment (the positive side of the MFC). Funnels were used to facilitate the
transfer process.

Recording Electricity Yielded

The caps with the graphite rod electrodes protruding from them were used to cover the
MFC chambers. Alligator clips with copper wires connected to them were clipped on the
rods. The wires in turn were connected to the electrical leads on the digital multimeter. The
voltages were recorded for every minute for 30 minutes.

12
 RESULTS

Figure 4. Control Setup: Pure Water Data Graph

Control Setup
0.12

0.1
Potential Difference (V)

0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

0
00:01

00:03

00:05

00:07

00:09

00:11

00:13

00:15

00:17

00:19

00:21

00:23

00:25

00:27

00:29
Time elapsed

The graph shows the voltage measurements and the line-of-best-fit for the readings in the
Control setup, which consists of pure water in the anode and saltwater in the cathode. The
voltages gradually decreased over the thirty-minute period. The highest (0.11043 V) and the
lowest (0.081 V) readings were produced during the first and last minutes, respectively. The
electricity from this setup was attributed to the stray electrons produced from the auto ionization
of water that were attracted the Na+ ions in the saltwater.

13
 Figure 5. Setup 1: Setup 1: 100% Carabao (Bubalus bubalis
carabanesis) Manure Data Graph

Setup 1
0.3

0.25
Potential Difference (V)

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
00:01

00:03

00:05

00:07

00:09

00:11

00:13

00:15

00:17

00:19

00:21

00:23

00:25

00:27

00:29
Time elapsed

This Figure shows the highest mean voltage (0.2052911 V) produced among the setups,
yet it also has the highest range (0.081267 V) and standard deviation (0.03124233911 V). These
values were reflected by the relative instability of the above graph of voltage readings. There
were unsteady readings for the first five minutes, before flattening out to around 0.253 V for 5
minutes (from the 6th to 11th minutes). An almost vertical drop 0.172733 V in the readings was
then observed at the 12th minute before flattening out again for the rest of the period, with the
exception of a small spike in the 21st minute. The general behavior of the readings suggested that
the substrate may be the most ideal for the carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure bacteria,
notwithstanding the instability of the voltages produced.

14
 Figure 6. Setup 2: 75% Carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
Manure, 25% Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Peelings Data Graph

Setup 2
0.166
0.164
Potential Difference (V)

0.162
0.16
0.158
0.156
0.154
0.152
0.15
0.148
00:01

00:03

00:05

00:07

00:09

00:11

00:13

00:15

00:17

00:19

00:21

00:23

00:25

00:27

00:29
Time elapsed

This graph explains that there was a steady rise in the voltage readings from the start of
the experiments until it reached the peak voltage of 0.164033 V at the 14 th minute. After that
rise, there was a steady, very gradual decrease in the voltage readings. This setup produced the
third highest mean voltage of all the setups and it also has the second smallest standard
deviation, reflecting a little deviation of the values from the mean. Thus, the voltage readings
were relatively stable. The line-of-best-fit is positively sloped; this characteristic is unique to this
setup. This suggested that there was a general increase in voltages as time passes by. The
stability of the readings and the increasing trend implied that the substrate might be the most
ideal for the carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure bacteria, with just enough of them to
feed on the just enough amount of substrate.

15
Figure 7. Setup 3: 50% Carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
Manure, 50% Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Peelings Data Graph

Setup 3
0.175

0.17
Potential Difference (V)

0.165

0.16

0.155

0.15

0.145

0.14

0.135
00:01

00:03

00:05

00:07

00:09

00:11

00:13

00:15

00:17

00:19

00:21

00:23

00:25

00:27

00:29
Time elapsed

This Figure shows a decreased in voltage readings over the thirty-minute interval. The
only exception was the period between the 9th and 14th minutes, which showed a slight increase
in voltage readings (with ∆V=0.0008 V). After that, there was a “valley” whose lowest point was
0.1479 V; that valley lasted for 7 minutes (from the 14th to 21st minutes). The decreasing general
trend was attributed to the decrease in the amount of substrate over time as the bacteria fed on
them, causing the decrease in voltage readings.

16
Figure 8. Setup 4: 25% Carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
Manure, 75% Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Peelings Data Graph

Setup 4
0.16

0.158
Potential Difference (V)

0.156

0.154

0.152

0.15

0.148
00:01

00:03

00:05

00:07

00:09

00:11

00:13

00:15

00:17

00:19

00:21

00:23

00:25

00:27

00:29
Time elapsed

This graph represents that there was a relatively steep rise in the readings for this setup in
the first seven minutes. The highest voltage produced, 0.158867 V, was maintained between the
7th and 8th minutes, before slowly decreasing for the rest of the interval. An instability in voltage
readings was noted starting the 22nd minute. The line-of-best-fit is negatively sloped, implying a
decrease in voltages produced over time. The general behavior of the setup was attributed to the
quick feeding of the carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure bacteria on the beginning but
later the activity decreased as they fed on increasing amounts of substrate.

17
Figure 9. Setup 5: 100% Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Peelings Data Graph

Setup 5
0.058

0.057
Potential Difference (V)

0.056

0.055

0.054

0.053

0.052

0.051
00:01

00:03

00:05

00:07

00:09

00:11

00:13

00:15

00:17

00:19

00:21

00:23

00:25

00:27

00:29
Time elapsed

This graph shows the setup produced the lowest mean voltage. There was a gradual rise
in the readings before slowly going down. Several small peaks were observed starting the 24 th
minute. This setup has the smallest range and standard deviation, suggesting that the initial and
final values were not too far away from each other, with the individual values not straying too far
away from the mean. This behavior was attributed to the absence of carabao (Bubalus bubalis
carabanesis) manure bacteria to feed on the substrate, with only those bacteria already present in
the jackfruit peelings to feed on it.

18
 DISCUSSION

To test the null hypothesis “There was no significant difference in the voltages generated
by the setups” and the alternative hypothesis “There was a significant difference in the voltages
generated by the setups”, the statistical test called Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied
to the readings of the MFCs in this experiment.

The ANOVA results suggested that there was indeed a significant difference in the
voltages generated by the MFCs, which were accounted for by the differences in the varying
compositions of the substrate.

The setup whose substrate was composed only of carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
manure mixture (i.e. Setup 1) showed the highest mean voltage, suggesting that in this
investigation it may be the most ideal environment for the cellulolytic bacteria. The jackfruit
(Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings could have been more difficult to digest for the bacteria, so its
addition to the MFC resulted in to somewhat lower voltages produced.
However, the significance of the jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings on the
voltages could not be entirely eliminated. As suggested in the results, Setup 1 had relatively
unstable voltage readings, as compared to the other setups. The standard deviations of the setups
with jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings were lower compared to that of the Control
Setup and Setup 1, which suggested that the voltages in the former tend to deviate in a lesser
degree from the mean. This agreed with the earlier statement that the voltages produced by those
setups were more stable. Also, Setup 2 produced voltages that according to the line-of-best-fit,
increased over time. That setup’s composition may actually be the most ideal for the carabao
(Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure bacterial population. These led to the idea that the addition
of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings had a positive effect on the electrical energy
production of the MFC.

19
 CONCLUSION

This research project was conducted to determine if varying the carabao (Bubalus bubalis
carabanesis) manure-jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peeling substrate in a two-chamber
Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) could increase the MFC’s efficiency

As shown by the ANOVA results, there was a significant difference between the voltages
created by the set-ups. Altering the composition of the substrate in the anode chamber by
changing the percentages of carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure and jackfruit
(Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings in it, affects the voltage readings. This supports the research
hypothesis.

The highest mean voltage was produced in the 100% carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
manure mixture but the most stable setup was the 75% carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
manure - 25% jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peeling mixture.

Based on the standard deviations of the voltages formed, those setups whose substrates
has jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings tend to deviate in a lesser degree from their
respective means, as shown by their comparatively small standard deviations. This suggests
stability in the voltage readings. Also, the voltages in Setup 2; 75% carabao (Bubalus bubalis
carabanesis) manure, 25% jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings showed an increasing trend
over time, a characteristic unique to this setup. The addition of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
peelings could have produced an ideal environment for the manure bacteria, with enough
cellulose to feed upon over time.

Therefore, adding jackfruit peelings to carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure as a

substrate in the MFC could make stable voltage readings. This stability was important for the
MFC to be efficient for practical purposes.

20
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is known that a big task cannot be finished alone by a person for it is unavoidable to
seek help from others. This is also true for a group of researchers aiming to finish a study.
Without those people who helped, this study wouldn’t go this far. The people mentioned here are
the ones who helped the group in times of need and are worthy to receive the group’s sincere
gratitude:

Our God Almighty, for the guidance He gave the researchers and for giving them time,
strength, inspiration, and will to perform and finish this project;

The librarians and staff of the University of the Philippines – Diliman Campus National
Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development(UP NISMED) and College of
Science library for their hospitality and assistance as well as providing resources that the group
used in some parts of the research paper;

The parents of the researchers for their consideration, patience, and support during the
hardships and challenges the group has faced, thus giving them the will to continue the research;

Mr. Noel P. Diaz, the group’s research adviser, for giving tips, for teaching the group the
things required in making a research, for answering the group’s inquiries about reinforcing the
research, and for helping the group and expecting nothing in return;

The subject teachers of III-Hydrogen SY 2010-2011 for giving the group some of their
time to perform research activities outside the school premises, for giving the group make-up
tests for the times the group performed research during their time, and for sharing some of their
useful knowledge;

Dr. Zenaida P. Sadsad, the school principal, for supporting and allowing the group
perform off-campus research activities.

Without them, the group would not be able to execute the research properly. The group
would like to show their sincerest and deepest gratitude to everyone who helped them perform
this research smoothly.

Thank you very much for everything and may God bless you all!

21
 RECOMMENDATIONS

The group recommends measuring not only the voltages from the MFCs; rather, other
types of measurements such as the current produced and internal resistance offered by the MFC
might be obtained. This would provide better analysis of the results, especially if concerning the
efficiency of the MFC.

Lessening the amount of water or totally removing it in the substrates might help, as it
might have an unknown effect on the voltages produced, be it positive or negative.

A process that could increase electrical energy production is the so-called roll-tube
method for isolating purely cellulolytic anaerobic bacteria from the carabao (Bubalus bubalis
carabanesis) manure, which are responsible for the production of electricity in the MFC. The
presence of only that kind of bacteria might result in increased electrical energy production, as
competition from non-cellulolytic bacteria will be removed. Other factors resulting from such
isolation might also increase the production. Furthermore, since that premise means the use of
anaerobic bacteria, providing an anaerobic environment in the MFC could complements that
method in further ramping up the efficiency of the fuel cell.

Correspondingly, several methods have been either studied or made to isolate cellulose
from plant parts such as corn hull. If such processes could be made for jackfruit (Artocarpus
heterophyllus) peelings, the pure cellulose in the MFC may increase electrical energy production.

On the Microbial Fuel Cell itself, other better materials could be used for the salt bridge,
as it might have a bearing on the efficiency of the cell. The same goes with the substance in the
anodic chamber and the electrodes used for the cell, which in this study are saline water and
graphite rods (pencil leads), respectively. The latter’s electrical resistance renders some of the
produced electricity useless.

22
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

California Rare Fruit Growers. (1996). Jackfruit. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/jackfruit.html

Elevitch, C. R. & Manner, H. I. (2006, April). Artocarpus heterophyllus (jackfruit).

TraditionalTree.org. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from
http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/A.heterophyllus-jackfruit.pdf

Forster, R.J., Gong, J. & Teather, R.M. (1997). Group-specific 16S rRNA hybridization probes
for determinative and community structure studies of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvensin the rumen.
Applied Environ. Microbiol., 63, 1256-1260.

Merrill, E. D. (1922). An enumeration of Philippines flowering plants. Amsterdam: A. Asher

MicrobialFuelCell.org. (2008, December 9). General principles of MFCs. Retrieved September

21, 2010, from http://www.microbialfuelcell.org/www/index.php/General/General-priniciples-
of-MFCs.html

Pancho, J.V. (1983). Vascular Flora of Mt. Makiling and Vicinity (Luzon: Philippines), Part 1.
Quezon City: New Mercury Printing Press

Pe Benito, C. I. (1989). Dehydrated fruit leather from jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophylla, Lam.).
Diliman, Quezon City: University of the Philippines

Prescott, L. M., Harley, J. P. & Klein, D. A. (1993). Microbiology (2nd ed.). Dubuque IO: WmC
Brown

Shinkai, T. & Kobayashi, Y. (2007). Localization of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria on plant

fibrous materials as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization and real-time PCR.
Applied Environ. Microbiol., 73, 1646-1652.

Singleton, P. & Sainsbury, D. (1988). Dictionary of microbiology and molecular biology (2nd
ed.). Singapore: Wiley- Interscience Publication

Stainer, R. Y., Adeberg, E. A. & Ingraham, J. L. (1977). General microbiology (4th ed.).
London: Macmillan

Subburamu, K., Singaravelu, M., Nazar, A. & Irulappan, I. (1990, April 16). A study on the
utilization of jack fruit waste. Tamil Nadu, India: Horticultural Research Station, Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University

TheFreeDictionary.com. (n. d.). Crude fiber. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from
http://web.mit.edu/pweigele/www/SoBEI/Info_files/Rabaey%202005%20Trends%20Biotechnol.
pdf

23
Wahyudi, A., Cahyanto, M. N., Soejono, M. and Bachruddin, Z. (2010). Potency of
lignocellulose degrading bacteria isolated from buffalo and horse gastrointestinal tract and
elephant dung for feed fiber degradation. Journal of the Indonesian Tropical Animal Agriculture,
35, 34-41.

Wanapat, M., Ngarmsang, A., Korkhuntot, S., Nontaso, N., Wachirapakorn, C., Beakes, G.
& Rowlinson, P. (2000). A comparative study on the rumen microbial population of cattle and
swamp buffalo raised under traditional village conditions in the Northeast of Thailand. Asian-
Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 13, 918-921.

Wikipedia. (n. d.). Catalysis. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysis

Zamora, P.M. (1971). Plants of the Philippines. Diliman, Quezon City: University of the
Philippines

24
 APPENDICES

Photo Documentation

Scraping of pencils Prepared Microbial Fuel Cell setups

Materials for agar-making Nutrient agar powder Sterilizing PVC pipes

Weighing of the agar powder Preparation of agar solution

25
 Jackfruit peelings Jackfruit peelings Weighing of the Carabao
mixture manure

Carabao manure mixture Water and rock salt: components of the salt solution

Control Setup Microbial Fuel Cell Experimental Setup

Experimental Design Diagram

26
Title: Analysis of Voltages from Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Peelings and Carabao
(Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) Manure Powered Two-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell

Hypothesis: If the variation of the concentrations of the carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis)
manure and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peelings does affect the voltages produced, then
at least one of the MFCs shall show evidences of being more efficient.

Experimental Design Diagram

SETUP Independent Variable Number of Trials

SETUP 1 100% manure mixture 0% jackfruit peelings mixture 3

SETUP 2 75% manure mixture 25% jackfruit peelings mixture 3
SETUP 3 50% manure mixture 50% jackfruit peelings mixture 3
SETUP 4 25% manure mixture 75% jackfruit peelings mixture 3
SETUP 5 0% manure mixture 100% jackfruit peelings mixture 3
Control 100% distilled water 3

Dependent variable: amount of electricity (voltage)

Constants: carabao (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) manure-distilled water mixture

concentration, jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peeling-distilled water mixture
concentration, salt solution concentration, type of salt bridge, duration of the recording
process, digital multimeter used

27
Voltages Generated by the SETUPS (3 trials)

28
29
30
31
 SETUP Properties

Selected Control Setup Properties Selected Setup 1 Properties

Mean voltage produced: Mean voltage produced:

0.09313666667 V ( 5th highest 0.2195776667 V (highest mean

mean voltage among the setups) voltage among the setups)

Highest voltage reading reached: Highest voltage reading reached:

0.110433 V (0:01) 0.254 V (0:10)

Lowest voltage reading attained: Lowest voltage reading attained:

0. 081V (0:30) 0. 172733 V (0:12)

Standard Deviation of the Voltage Standard Deviation of the Voltage

Readings: Readings:

0.008562209364 V (2nd highest 0.3124233911 V (highest among

among the setups) the setups)

Selected Setup 2 Properties Selected Setup 3 Properties

Mean voltage produced: Mean voltage produced:

0.1622989 V (3rd highest mean 0.1576289 V (2nd highest mean

voltage among the setups) voltage among the setups)

Highest voltage reading reached: Highest voltage reading reached:

0.164033 V (0:14) 0.171633 V (0:01)

Lowest voltage reading attained: Lowest voltage reading attained:

 0.153533 V (0:01) 0. 1479 V (0:20)

Standard Deviation of the Voltage Standard Deviation of the Voltage

Readings: Readings:

0.0.002092105831 V (2nd to the 0.005871655893 V (3rd highest

lowest among the setups) among the setups)

32
 Selected Setup 4 Properties Selected Setup 5 Properties

Mean voltage produced: Mean voltage produced:

0.1562633333 V (4th highest mean 0.05543443333 V (lowest mean

voltage among the setups) voltage among the setups)

Highest voltage reading reached: Highest voltage reading reached:

0.158867 V (0:07-0:08) 0.057167 V (0:07)

Lowest voltage reading attained: Lowest voltage reading attained:

0. 1521 V (0:01) 0.053967 V (0:28)

Standard Deviation of the Voltage Standard Deviation of the Voltage

Readings: Readings:

0.002149017969 V (4th highest 0.001122992262 V (loewst among

among the setups) the setups)

33
 Analysis of Variance for Statistical Significance

Statement of the null and alternative hypotheses in symbols and words

NULL HYPOTHESIS

There is no significant difference between the voltages produced by the setups

Ho: μ1= μ2= μ3= μ4= μ5= μ6

ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS

There is a significant difference between the voltages produced by the setups

Ha: μ1≠ μ 2 ≠ μ3 ≠ μ4≠ μ 5 ≠ μ6

α = 0.05

Sources of Sum of Degrees of Mean Ftab /

Fcalc
Variation Squares Freedom Squares Critical Value
Between
0.439993985 5 0.087998797 483.5765388 2.27
Treatments
Within
0.031729333 174 0.000182352
Treatments

Total 0.471723318 179

ANOVA Table

Stp1ΣX= 6.158733
Stp1ΣX2= 37.92999217

Stp 2ΣX= 4.868967

Stp 2ΣX2= 23.70683965

Stp 3ΣX= 4.728867

Stp 3ΣX2= 22.36218

34
 Stp 4ΣX= 4.6879
Stp 4ΣX2= 21.97641

Stp 5ΣX= 1.663033

Stp 5ΣX2= 2.76568

CtlΣX= 2.7941
2
CtlΣX = 7.806995

ΣX= 24.9016
ΣX2= 116.5481

Computing the ANOVA

. ( . )
SSBT = − = 0.439993985

SSWT = [0.110432 + 0.10852 + 0.106872 + 0.104932 + 0.10332 + 0.10212 + 0.100832 …

.
= 3.916666− = 0.031729333

SST = 0.439993985 + 0.031729333 = 0.471723318

DFBT = 6 − 1 = 5

DFWT = 6(30 − 1) = 174

DFtotal = 5 + 174 = 179

.
MSBT = = 0.087998797
.
MSWT = = 0.000182352

35
 .
Fcalc = = 483.5765388
.

Critical or tabular value of F at 0.05 level of significance, df1 = 5, df2 =174; Ftab = 2.27

CONCLUSION

Since Fcalc > Ftab , reject the null hypothesis

There was a significant difference between the voltages produced by the setups.

36
 List of Figures
Page
Figure 1. Microbial Fuel Cell (Retrieved from sciencebuddies.org) 6

Figure 2. Carabao Manure (Retrieved from uwer.edu) 7

Figure 3. Jackfruit (Retrieved from floridagardener.com) 9

Figure 4. Control Setup Data Graph 13

Figure 5. Setup 1: Setup 1: 100% Carabao Manure Data Graph 14

Figure 6. Setup 2: 75% Carabao Manure, 25% Jackfruit Peelings Data Graph 15

Figure 7. Setup 3: 50% Carabao Manure, 50% Jackfruit Peelings Data Graph 16

Figure 8. Setup 4: 25% Carabao Manure, 75% Jackfruit Peelings Data Graph 17

Figure 9. Setup 5: 100% Jackfruit Peelings Data Graph 18