Soil-based microbial fuel cell developed to power low-energy sensors without batteries

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:44:00 +0200

Researchers at Northwestern University have created a novel fuel cell that generates electricity using naturally occurring microbes in soil. The system captures energy produced as these microorganisms break down organic material, converting it into small but steady electrical output. This innovation is designed primarily to power low-energy devices such as underground sensors used in agriculture and environmental monitoring, rather than large-scale electronics.

The device, roughly the size of a paperback book, can operate in a wide range of conditions, including both dry and fully flooded soils. This versatility addresses a major limitation of earlier microbial fuel cells, which struggled with maintaining performance in variable moisture environments. The researchers improved the design by reconfiguring the internal structure: instead of placing electrodes in parallel, they positioned them perpendicularly. The anode is buried horizontally in the soil to interact with microbes, while t