A group of researchers from Saint Louis University-Basic Education School (BEdS) recently proved that banana peels are more than just kitchen scraps. They could power the future, too.
At the first-ever Philippine Science High School-Cordillera Research Festival, the SLU-BEdS team flexed their award-winning project, “Bioelectricity Generation: Utilizing Lakatan Peelings in Microbial Fuel Cells Containing Bacillus sutilis,” reported the Philippine Information Agency.
According to team leader Gian Christopher Cordova, the project was inspired by his family’s daily habit of eating bananas and discarding the peels. Seeing the waste pile up, he began thinking of ways to give it a new purpose.
“So, with that, I planned to utilize the peelings and turn [them] into something valuable,” shared Cordova.
Their research explored how banana peelings, combined with Bacillus subtilis bacteria, could power microbial fuel cells and generate electricity from organic waste.
“In a constantly changing world, let us create and improve the state of the environment by creating renewable and sustainable technologies. Dahil sa balat ng lakatan, may ilaw ang pangkalahatan,” he said in a Facebook post.
The team is also now working on filing a patent for their project, which recently won the 1st Grand Award at the 4th National Science and Engineering Fair in Quezon City.
