Electricity Production from Trees

Soil microbial activity which decomposes various organic materials so that they become nutrients for the trees and photosynthesis can actually be converted into electricity. The process that occurs is the change from chemical energy to electrical energy. This is similar to the battery process which is a source of chemical energy into electrical energy. Then how exactly is the device that can change the activity of microbes and synthetic photos to become electricity? A Dutch company, Plant-E has proven the concept and applied it to real life. A number of gadgets and street lighting are reported to have used electricity that was converted from activities in the trees.

There is a converter in the form of a positive electrode (cathode; catching electrons or reduction) and negative (anode; releasing electrons or oxidation) that converts the chemical energy into electricity. The photosynthesis process that occurs in plants that produce organic material according to the research turns out not to be fully used by these plants, even those that are released or discharged to the soil are quite a lot through the roots. In this phase there is the release of electrons as waste. In electrochemical cells a spontaneous redox reaction produces electricity, that's the principle, so it can be used as a power source.

Electric current is the flow of electrons and each electron is charged 1.6E-19 coulomb. The greater the difference in cell potential between the two electrodes, the greater the electrical current produced. Certain metals are used as electrodes, the more noble the metal group is, the harder it will be to oxidize. So that a more noble metal group is used as a cathode or electron catcher. Microorganisms as an anode that releases electrons or oxidation occurs while the cathode is made from certain metals as electron capture or reduction reactions. The study also showed that plant growth was not disturbed by the installation of electrodes for electricity production.

To optimize the electricity production process, it can be done by optimizing the chemical energy source. Microbial activity in the soil can be optimized by making optimum conditions for microbial growth, including organic farming and biochar use. Chemical fertilizers will kill soil microbes, because they make the soil acidic. Besides chemical fertilizers also damage the structure or physical chemistry of the soil. The soil becomes hard and various nutrients or organic matter become easily released. Hard soil will also minimize soil microbial activity. Biochar with its functions, among others, as a microbial house and holding nutrients to plants will optimize the conversion process of organic matter, so that it will also optimize the electricity production process. An energy plantation with leguminoceae trees that can bind nitrogen from the atmosphere at its roots because of the symbiosis with acetobacter microbes should also increase the electricity production.

The second factor to be optimized is the photosynthesis. Factors such as the availability of adequate nutrition, water and sunlight make photosynthesis run optimally. The availability of adequate nutrition is also strongly related to microbial activity and the availability of organic material as a source of food. Indonesia with tropical climate conditions, the sun shines throughout the year with an average of 12 hours / day and high rainfall makes it very potential for the growth of trees or especially photosynthesis itself. Another advantage in Indonesia is that the unit cannot operate when the ground is snow-covered and we don't find it in Indonesia. In the snowy winter plants stop growing or dormant phase so photosynthesis does not occur. A number of trees have C4 photosynthesis, which is photosynthesis which plants are more adaptive in dry and hot regions. Photosynthesis C4 makes sugar production increase and minimum photorespiration or known photosynthesis is effective. So the third factor that can be optimized is by choosing the types of trees that have C4 type photosynthesis, such as bamboo trees.

As for the electricity capacity produced is quite small, for each m2 it produces around 28 kwh / year or 0.1 kWh / day. If household use spends 10 kwh / day, it means a 100-hectare plantation is needed. If a community group of 100 houses with each of 10 kWh / day means the need for land reaches 10,000 hectares. Some rural areas with minimal electricity needs and large enough plantations can be suitable for this technology. Large plantations with dense tree populations such as tea plantations, sugar cane, energy plantations and so on are predicted to be more effective in their implementation. The application of sensors in the world of agriculture and IoT (Internet of thing) can use electricity from this source. Besides that the activity of climbing a mountain can be more fun when the path that is traversed is lit by lights whose electricity comes from the trees in the forest. Plant e so far uses electricity generated for charging cellphones and other gadgets and street lighting. In the end of the source of energy from the trees further proves the word of Allah SWT namely QS Yaasiin (36): 80 & QS Waqi'ah: 71-72. For more details on the development of the Qur'an-based energy can be read here.