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Yes. Researchers have produced measurable electricity from tomato pomace and defective tomatoes in laboratory microbial fuel cells and related systems. That is a proof of concept, not evidence that tomato waste can currently power a home or provide commercial electricity. Other work has converted fibrous tomato plant residues into methane, which is a separate energy pathway.
How a microbial fuel cell makes electricity from tomato waste
Tomato waste contains organic compounds that microorganisms can break down. In a microbial fuel cell (MFC), microbial activity helps transfer electrons from that material to an anode. The electrons travel through an external circuit to a cathode, creating measurable electrical current. The 2015 tomato-pomace study describes this as direct conversion of chemical energy in organic matter into DC electricity through microbial catalytic activity. Fogg et al., Journal of Power Sources (2015).
The feedstock affects how the system behaves. Pomace—leftover material from tomato processing—and culled or defective fruit have been tested for electrical output. Fibrous tomato plant residues have instead been studied in anaerobic digestion systems, where the reported energy product is methane.
What experiments have demonstrated
Tomato pomace in a microbial fuel cell
A 2015 proof-of-concept study tested tomato pomace as an MFC feedstock. Its open-circuit potential was similar to the glucose control, but its polarization performance was weaker, with the gap increasing as current density and operating time rose. The authors also examined impedance and the influence of particulate characteristics and redox-active compounds. These findings show why a voltage reading alone does not establish that a waste feedstock will perform like a simple laboratory substrate. Fogg et al. (2015).
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Defective tomatoes in microbial-electrochemical systems
A 2016 study reported proof-of-concept electricity generation from culled tomatoes. It identified naturally occurring, diffusible redox-active pigments as contributors to oxidation, while peel and seeds impeded oxidation behavior. The different effects of liquid and solid components illustrate that processing and feedstock composition matter. “Electricity generation from defective tomatoes,” Bioelectrochemistry (2016).
Small-scale single-chamber experiment
A 2023 study tested tomato waste in a single-chamber MFC and reported a maximum power density of 264.72 ± 3.54 mW/cm². This is the reported result of that small-scale experiment; it is not a household or commercial power estimate. A bench-scale power-density value by itself does not establish sustained output, net energy, or the amount of waste needed to run an appliance. Rojas-Flores et al., Sustainability (2023).
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Electricity versus methane: two different routes
| Feedstock and route | Primary reported output | What the cited work establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato pomace or culled fruit in MFC/MES systems | Electrical output | Proof-of-concept and small-scale laboratory experiments; not commercial or household deployment. 2015 pomace study; 2016 defective-tomato study; 2023 MFC study. |
| Fibrous tomato plant residues in anaerobic digestion, including a bio-electrochemical reactor with carbon fiber textile | Methane | The study reports methane fermentation and improved decomposition of residues and intermediates; methane is an energy carrier, but this is not direct electricity production as the reactor’s principal product. Hirano and Matsumoto, Bioresource Technology (2018). |
A 2024 article examined tomato waste as one of several feedstocks in a mixed blackwater and agricultural-waste system and reported bioelectricity and biohydrogen results for the combined system. Those combined-system results cannot be attributed to tomato waste alone. Heliyon (2024).
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The cited tomato-specific electricity studies are laboratory demonstrations, not evidence of a commercial installation supplying useful grid or household power. The available results do not establish long-term operation, net energy after processing, cost-effectiveness, or a reliable scale-up pathway.
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- Feedstock is variable: Tomato pomace is particulate and chemically complex. The pomace study found performance differences from its glucose control; the defective-tomato study found that pigments and solid peel-and-seed fractions affected oxidation in opposing ways.
- Scale-up remains unresolved: The cited work does not settle the effects of pretreatment, electrode and reactor costs, sustained operation, or the energy required to prepare and process the waste.
- Output figures need context: Laboratory voltage, current, or power density is not enough to determine how much useful electricity a real installation would deliver.
The 2016 defective-tomato paper cites an estimate of 0.61 billion kg of defective tomatoes per year in the United States. That is the paper’s cited estimate from 2016, not a current independently verified national statistic. The 2015 pomace paper’s abstract also gives an annual U.S. pomace figure of approximately 40 million metric tons, but that figure appears inconsistent with the separate defective-tomato estimate and should not be treated as a reliable national total without clarification of its context and units.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this means for tomato-processing waste
Microbial fuel cells show that some tomato-processing waste can serve as a feedstock for experimental electricity generation. Anaerobic digestion research offers a distinct route for fibrous plant residues, with methane as the reported output. The studies establish research possibilities, not a basis for choosing one route on cost, net energy, or environmental performance: the cited results do not provide a consistent comparative life-cycle, net-energy, or economic assessment.
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For now, tomato-waste electricity belongs in the category of laboratory bioelectrochemical research. It should not be confused with a ready-to-buy generator or a proven way to power a home.
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