Electro-biosystems with mosses on green roofs

Abstract

The article presents the research of bioelectricity generation by electro-biosystems with mosses in containers with soil substrate and a graphite-Zn-steel system of electrodes on green roofs during the autumn-winter-spring peri-od. The experiment was carried out on the roof of the educational building of Lviv Polytechnic University, Ukraine. It was revealed that the optimum conditions for the functioning of electro-biosystems were the temperature above +10°С with simultaneous regular humidification of the soil. In these conditions, an average current of 19.50 mA was recorded. Electro-biosystems reacted by lowering in the level of the produced bioelectric potential and current at a temperature drop below 10°C, particularly in frost, and also in the long absence of atmospheric precipitation. The electrode system configuration had an important value for their functionality. Electro-biosystems with a few single graphites as cathodes, connected by conductors into a single cathode system to varying degrees survived the winter period; in some of them, connections between the electrodes were damaged due to the effect of frozen water. The most optimal configuration of an electrode system for generating bioelectricity was the system consisting of one monolithic graphite cathode, located in the depth of the soil under rhizoids and vertically located anodes. This electro-biosystem was stable and operated at the initial level after the winter period. Thermo-insulated electro-bi-osystems with frost-resistant mosses under the conditions of regular humidification are the basis for further development and improvement of biotechnology in terms of maximising the obtained bioelectricity and have prospects of being used for low-energy consumption needs on green roofs of buildings.