The Microbial Fuel Cell as an Education Tool

Authors

  • Alim Dewan Washington State University
  • Bernard Van Wie Washington State University
  • Haluk Beyenal Washington State University
  • Zbigniew Lewandowski Montana State University

Abstract

Many chemical engineering programs offer courses from a variety of disciplines to teach their students multidisciplinary concepts, but often these courses lack appropriate tools for linking newly learned concepts to principles learned in the core courses. This paper describes our experience of incorporating a microbial fuel cell education module into a bioprocess engineering course, and its use in active, hands-on learning classroom exercises to teach multidisciplinary concepts in an integrated manner.

Author Biographies

Alim Dewan, Washington State University

Alim Dewan is a graduate student at Washington State University, in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering. He earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in chemical engineering in 2002 and 2005, respectively, at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. His research interests include microbial fuel cells and electrochemically active biofilms.

Bernard Van Wie, Washington State University

Bernard Van Wie earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1982 from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, where he focused on blood-cell separations. He is now a professor at Washington State University, in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering. His current research focuses on bioprocessing and biomedical engineering with applications in biosensors, cell culture, and biomass processing. In 2009, he received the Martin Smith Award as the most innovative instructor at the university.

Haluk Beyenal, Washington State University

Haluk Beyenal received his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering in 1990, 1993, and 1997, respectively, from Hacettepe University, Turkey. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher and then as an assistant research professor in the Biofilm Structure and Function and Bioelectro-chemistry Groups at the Center for Biofilm Engineering. Currently, he is an assistant professor at Washington State University, in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.

Zbigniew Lewandowski, Montana State University

Zbigniew Lewandowski received his M.Sc. in 1969 from the Technical University of Gliwice, Poland, and his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the Institute of Environmental Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, in 1976. He is now a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, and head of the Biofilm Structure and Function Group at the Center for Biofilm Engineering.

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Published

2010-04-01

Issue

Vol. 44 No. 2 (2010): Spring 2010

Section

Manuscripts