The purpose of my experiment was to determine if the Salt Pond was a better mud source than Salt River for a microbial fuel cell development. My results showed that the Salt Pond based fuel cell was more reliable than Salt River; although Salt River fuel cell #3 produced the highest amount of voltage. My hypothesis said that the Salt Pond would create more electrons, but the data showed that one of the Salt River fuel cells produced the most electrons. I believe that my results with the Salt Pond were steady because of the higher amount of waste and bacteria. Having a higher amount of waste and bacteria helps keep the voltage levels steady because there are more microorganisms that can produce electrons. I believe the Salt River fuel cell that had the highest voltage readings, (Salt River Fuel Cell #3) was due to the performance of the salt bridge. Having a better salt bridge allowed the fuel cell to have a greater energy potential between the anode and cathode chambers. An interesting observation was about the visual outcome of my fuel cells, they all had orange-colored water except for Salt Pond fuel cell #3. This most likely happened due to small leaks in the salt bridge. If there was a leak in the salt bridge it would have allowed the mud and water to mix which would turn the water orange.
Knowing what source of water on the island is best to use for microbial fuel cells is important because you could potentially use the energy to power households efficiently, and you become more aware of what other renewable energy source options you have. If I was to continue my research on microbial fuel cells I would try to find a way to use sediment from the ocean to power my fuel cell. This would be difficult since the bacteria and waste levels are less than the Salt River and Salt Pond, but it would be an easier source to access. Not to mention, we have a plentiful amount of ocean sediment. I could also focus more on the change of the pH levels in the water from before and after, and focus on the change in the outcome between leaky and non leaky salt bridges to confirm my results.