Waste to Watts and Water: Enabling Self-Contained Facilities Using Microbial Fuel Cells
Abstract
Lack of investment in future agile combat support technologies will lead to a strategic surprise that diverts military attention and resources from critical air, space, and cyber operations. Looking to the national security in 2030, this research explores one technology-the microbial fuel cell (MFC)-that gives life to self-contained facilities decoupled from vulnerable supply lines and infrastructure networks. MFCs dispose of waste (sewage, food scraps, graywater, and so forth) and produce clean water (up to 70% of required volumes) and power (up to 600 watts/person). Using relevance tree methodology, the research concludes that a successful MFC strategy will be collaborative, addressing not only funding and technological barriers, but also key social, industrial, and political hurdles to enabling this capability. Fully developed, this technology will save up to $50M/day for a 150,000-person deployment. Beyond cost and mobility advantages, MFCs enable homeland security against the terrorist threat and provide power, water, and sanitary waste disposal after wars or natural disasters. They also add legitimacy to stressed governments, offer security against water and energy shortages, and function in isolated areas as well as urban centers. In addition to military uses, MFCs are a diplomatic and economic tool to pursue a better state of peace by building a foundation for democratic and economic development.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA603504
Entities
People
- Amanda S. Birch
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College