Power from the playground: Power-FULL Biofilms - a hands-on classroom activity using microbial fuel cells and electroactive biofilms to generate electricity.

ABSTRACT: Power-FULL Biofilms is a 5-week, hands-on outreach workshop designed to introduce KS2 students (ages 7+) to microbiology, electricity, and renewable energy. Students build their own microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using inexpensive plastic components and then inoculate these with mud from their school playground. The MFCs are fed with a simple food source and monitored as an electroactive biofilm develops; they produce electrical current. In the final session, the MFCs are connected together to power a small electronic device, proving we can get power from the playground. This activity builds on previous outreach initiatives like Powerful Soil and Blast a Biofilm, adapting complex microbiological ideas into a fun, age-appropriate format. Sessions combine structured instruction wi

SUBMITTER: Bird H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12687646 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature