Generating electricity from waste water
如何利用废水发电
The market for new ways to generate sustainable energy is booming.
寻求可持续能源的新方法的市场正在蓬勃发展。
In addition to wind and solar energy, the so-called biofuels are becoming increasingly common. Generating energy through burning, vaporising, or fermenting biomass such as leftover plant material, vegetable waste, and manure are well-tried methods. A new shoot on this branch of energy production is the microbial fuel cell, which is capable of directly generating energy from substances such as waste water. At the present time, this has only been done in the lab, but the first results and applications of this new technology are very promising.
除了风能和太阳能之外，所谓的生物燃料也变得越来越普遍。通过燃烧、蒸发或发酵生物质（例如剩余的植物材料、蔬菜废物和粪便）来产生能量是经过多次尝试的方法。微生物燃料电池是这一能源生产领域的新芽，它能够直接从废水等物质中产生能量。目前，这仅在实验室中完成，但这项新技术的初步结果和应用非常有前景。
If an electrode is placed in waste water, bacteria automatically begin to grow on it. These bacteria are capable of transforming the organic compounds present in the water into electricity. This process purifies the waste water, which in and of itself is a useful application. But researchers from Wageningen UR and Wetsus , a water technology institute, who are working with each other as part of the Microbial Fuel Cell project , are more interested in generating electricity.
如果将电极放入废水中，细菌就会自动开始在其上生长。这些细菌能够将水中的有机化合物转化为电能。这个过程净化了废水，这本身就是一个有用的应用。但来自瓦赫宁根大学和水技术研究所 Wetsus 的研究人员作为微生物燃料电池项目的一部分相互合作，他们对发电更感兴趣。
They are testing organic materials which may act as catalysts on the process. They are also improving the design of the model to enable generating electricity on a larger scale.
他们正在测试可以作为该过程催化剂的有机材料。他们还在改进模型的设计，以实现更大规模的发电。
How a microbial fuel cell works
微生物燃料电池的工作原理
A microbial fuel or biofuel cell requires:
Two electrodes
Bacteria such as those present in waste water or manure
A conducting wire with resistor (such as a light bulb)
微生物燃料或生物燃料电池需要：
两个电极
废水或粪便中存在的细菌
带电阻的导线（例如灯泡）
One electrode (the anode) is suspended in the waste water and connected by means of conducting wire to the other electrode (the cathode), which is placed in an oxygen-rich environment. The anode and cathode are separated by a membrane, so that no oxygen can reach the anode and thus slow down the process.
一个电极（阳极）悬浮在废水中，并通过导线连接到另一个电极（阴极），后者放置在富氧环境中。阳极和阴极被膜隔开，因此氧气无法到达阳极，从而减慢了该过程。
The bacteria already present in the waste water convert the organic compounds in the waste water into:
CO2
Protons
Electrons
The electrons generated in this manner travel via the conducting wire with resistor to the cathode, and along the way they can be used to power a light bulb, for instance. Once at the cathode, the electrons recombine with the protons and with oxygen to create pure water.
废水中已经存在的细菌将废水中的有机化合物转化为：
二氧化碳
质子
电子
以这种方式产生的电子通过带有电阻的导线传输到阴极，并且沿途它们可以用来为灯泡供电。一旦到达阴极，电子就会与质子和氧气重新结合，产生纯水。
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