A lecturer and a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Engineering have obtained a global patent in the field of modern environmental technologies.
Professor Dr. Zainab Ziad Ismail, a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Engineering, and doctoral student Waad Muhammad Ali have obtained a global patent issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent title is
Innovative Application of Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum) as a Novel
Biomaterial for Modification of Anode Surfaces to Boost Power Generation in
Microbial Fuel Cell
It is worth noting that this achievement is part of the doctoral thesis of the student Waad Muhammad Ali in the Department of Environmental Engineering. The subject of the patent is summarized in the innovative use of a natural material available locally and globally in the form of nanoparticles to improve and change the surfaces of graphite electrodes in the biofuel cell in order to raise the level of electrode efficiency in producing clean electrical energy and also make it more suitable for the growth of a layer of bacteria on it to increase its efficiency in digesting and removing organic pollutants from wastewater.
This new innovation was applied to the treatment of wastewater with a high organic content discharged from hospitals, and the results were excellent in treating this type of polluted water, removing pollutants, and simultaneously producing renewable electricity.
This achievement represents an important step in the field of modern environmental technologies for water treatment and clean energy production. It enhances the potential of scientific research to develop the use of other natural materials to improve the efficiency of electrodes in biofuel cells to treat other types of polluted water discharged from other industrial or municipal sources.
