http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/index.asp 152 editor@iaeme.com International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 11, Issue 4, April 2020, pp. 152-160, Article ID: IJCIET_11_04_013 Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/ijciet/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=11&IType=4 Journal Impact Factor (2020): 11.3296 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316 © IAEME Publication EFFECT OF ELECTRODES POSITION ON SEDIMENT MICROBIAL FUEL CELL OUTPUT VOLTAGES Zahraa Salem Aswad, Ahmed Hassoon Ali, Nadia M. Al-Mhana Environmental Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq ABSTRACT Increasing global energy demand created a huge attention in utilizing numerous energy sources which are renewable and environmentally friendly. Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell (SMFC) is a very new technology and could be considered as renewable energy. Studying SMFC parameters help in opening doors for its amendment and innovate better methods in harvesting more voltages to generate biosensors or other applications. Two positions were appliyed to test the optimum one and study the relationship of water level and sun light and temperature by connecting them to get one answer. Vertical subsurface constructed wetland planted with Cyperus Alternifolius was implemented within two aquariums. The best output voltage was performed for embedded cathode position by reaching to 75 mV whilst free cathode position hits value of 33 mV. Both types showed same pattern in changing of voltage except for the first five days when voltages decreased from (22.3-1.5 mV) and increased from(8-31.4 mV) before starting to their peak values for embedded and free cathode positions, respectively. Keywords: Sediment microbial fuel cell; Benthic microbial fuel cell; Graphite; Electrodes; Voltages; Bio-electricity generation; Wastewater. Cite this Article: Zahraa Salem Aswad, Ahmed Hassoon Ali, Nadia M. Al-Mhana, Effect of Electrodes Position on Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell Output Voltages. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 11(4), 2020, pp. 152-160. http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=11&IType=4 1. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, using of fossil fuel like oil and natural gas has been accelerated and in the coming future the world may face a lack in energy resources [1-2]. For minimizing CO 2 emission, special attention has been paid to renewable energy resource [3]. Benthic or Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell (SMFC) is a novel technology and a innovated engineered treatment basin filled with granular and sediment media and planted with macrophytes which are crucial mainly for the treatment of wastewater by bacterial utilization to convert the metabolism of bacteria into bio-electricity [4]. SMFC can produce electricity and treat wastewater in parallel [5, 6]. The existence of both organic matter and naturally redox gradients can be exploited to