Discover the Renewable Energy Potentials in Mimosa pudica Plant Weed for Solar Cell Development
Book Details
Author(s)Justus A Nwaoga
ISBN / ASINB00AEXOBQM
ISBN-13978B00AEXOBQ2
MarketplaceIndia 🇮🇳
Description
I have always been eager to appreciate the behavior of Mimosa pudica. The question has been: why do the leaves collapse when touched, only to open again within minutes in daylight? The search for knowledge took me to Mimosa locations to find out what happens at nighttime. I observed that the leaves remain folded when bright artificial light is shone on it. It became clear that the plant responds to solar energy. Artificial light has no effect on it. I believe that the movement of the leaves when touched is connected with some form of electrical transmission. It can be likened to the behavior of other moving creatures. Take humans for example, when a person is touched unexpectedly, electrical impulses are transmitted to the brain, and the person moves with a jerk.
There are scientific explanations to show that Mimosa pudica has electrical potential, which is energized by the sun’s radiation. In conventional electricity, when “positive†and “negative†wires touch, there is a spark, and a situation known as short circuit occurs. This interrupts electric current and there may be power outage. A similar process is believed to occur in M. pudica; when touched, the flow of electricity is interrupted and the leaves collapse. It may well be that a touch on this plant interferes with the flow of electric charges through the conducting parts and root hairs to or from the leaves. It is believed that the solar radiation incident on the leaf surface releases electrons that result in electric current.
I was earlier confronted by the idea of harnessing this phenomenon. The generation of electrical energy with a solar sensitive isolate from Mimosa pudica was achieved after series of designs to safeguard the electrical properties of the material. The challenges were enormous, however. To convert the mechanical energy observed as spontaneous movement of the leaves to electrical energy was an uphill task. A strong oxidation-reduction reaction was noticed in the extract, which quickly dissipated any trapped energy. After several attempts, however, it was possible to retain some quantum of electrical energy within the cells due to subsequent isolation of the principal compound.
The only meaningful way of demonstrating the electrical potential of the plant isolate was to use the cells to power an electrical circuit after combining the appropriate compound as electrodes. Experiments were performed initially using copper and other metals in turns as electrodes, but these failed. The conventional copper/zinc electrodes also did not work as the Mimosa extract powerfully corroded the zinc plate. At that stage, the entire aspiration appeared to have turned illusive. Later, however, with more effort, the chemistry of the material was better understood, which guided the generation of steady DC current that lit a 4.5 V lamp.
With this breakthrough, it was possible to construct a functional mimosa solar panel with the Mimosa plant extract. The solar panel is designed in such a way that the electrical potential of the cells can be restored on exposure to direct sun rays, after they have been discharged.
Pharm. Justus Nwaoga. B. Pharm, ANISLT, MPSN.
Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
There are scientific explanations to show that Mimosa pudica has electrical potential, which is energized by the sun’s radiation. In conventional electricity, when “positive†and “negative†wires touch, there is a spark, and a situation known as short circuit occurs. This interrupts electric current and there may be power outage. A similar process is believed to occur in M. pudica; when touched, the flow of electricity is interrupted and the leaves collapse. It may well be that a touch on this plant interferes with the flow of electric charges through the conducting parts and root hairs to or from the leaves. It is believed that the solar radiation incident on the leaf surface releases electrons that result in electric current.
I was earlier confronted by the idea of harnessing this phenomenon. The generation of electrical energy with a solar sensitive isolate from Mimosa pudica was achieved after series of designs to safeguard the electrical properties of the material. The challenges were enormous, however. To convert the mechanical energy observed as spontaneous movement of the leaves to electrical energy was an uphill task. A strong oxidation-reduction reaction was noticed in the extract, which quickly dissipated any trapped energy. After several attempts, however, it was possible to retain some quantum of electrical energy within the cells due to subsequent isolation of the principal compound.
The only meaningful way of demonstrating the electrical potential of the plant isolate was to use the cells to power an electrical circuit after combining the appropriate compound as electrodes. Experiments were performed initially using copper and other metals in turns as electrodes, but these failed. The conventional copper/zinc electrodes also did not work as the Mimosa extract powerfully corroded the zinc plate. At that stage, the entire aspiration appeared to have turned illusive. Later, however, with more effort, the chemistry of the material was better understood, which guided the generation of steady DC current that lit a 4.5 V lamp.
With this breakthrough, it was possible to construct a functional mimosa solar panel with the Mimosa plant extract. The solar panel is designed in such a way that the electrical potential of the cells can be restored on exposure to direct sun rays, after they have been discharged.
Pharm. Justus Nwaoga. B. Pharm, ANISLT, MPSN.
Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
