Tomato waste with potential use as an alternative in the generation of bioelectricity

Abstract

Agricultural waste has increased due to the great demand for food that currently exists. These wastes are generated during the entire harvest and sale process; and by not having an adequate segregation process, these are thrown in inappropriate places, generating pollution. On the other hand, the search for environmentally sustainable energy is a big problem for society; and the lack of energy in places far from cities increases the search; Which is why this research has as its main objective the generation of clean and environmentally sustainable energy through microbial fuel cells using tomato waste as fuel. The tomato waste generated maximum values of current and electrical potential of 6.539 ± 0.204 mA and 0.961 ± 0.036 V, on the ninth and tenth days respectively, operating at 6.72 ± 0.11 pH with an electrical conductivity of 125.014 ± 3.512 mS/cm and an ORP of 253.197 ± 15.481 mV. Thus, the COD was also reduced by 76.15 ± 4.57%, while the internal resistance found was 24.875 ± 2.714 Ω; and whose power density was 331.297 mW/cm2 for a current density of 5.168 A/cm2. This research provides a novel way to generate electrical energy from agricultural waste, which in the near future can be scalable and applicable to more real environments.