Z-scheme microbial photoelectrochemical system (MPS) for wastewater-to-chemical fuel conversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10683218-B2
Application number	US-201615743531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2016
Priority date	Jul 29, 2015
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device is provided that includes a housing having a first chamber and a second chamber, where the first chamber includes a bio-photoanode, where the second chamber includes a photocathode, where a backside of the bio-photoanode abuts a first side of a planatized fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass, where a backside of the photocathode abuts a second side of the FTO glass, where a proton exchange membrane separates the first chamber from the second chamber, where the first chamber includes a wastewater input and a reclaimed water output, where the second chamber includes a solar light input and a H2 gas output, where the solar light input is disposed for solar light illumination of the first chamber and the second chamber.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device, comprising a housing, wherein said housing comprises a first chamber and a second chamber, wherein said first chamber comprises a bio-photoanode, wherein said second chamber comprises a photocathode, wherein a backside of said bio-photoanode abuts a first side of a planatized fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass, wherein a backside of said photocathode abuts a second side of said FTO glass, wherein a proton exchange membrane separates said first chamber from said second chamber, wherein said first chamber comprises a wastewater input and a reclaimed water output, wherein said second chamber comprises a solar light input and a H 2 gas output, wherein said solar light input is disposed for solar light illumination of said first chamber and said second chamber.

2. The wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device of claim 1 , wherein said bio-photoanode comprises hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanowires.

3. The wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device of claim 1 , wherein said bio-photoanode comprises electrogenic bacterial strains.

4. The wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device of claim 1 , wherein said bio-photoanode comprises a semiconductor material selected from the group consisting of TiO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , WO 3 , ZnO, and BiVO 4 .

5. The wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device of claim 1 , wherein said photocathode comprises a semiconductor material selected from the group consisting of InGaN, GaN, InP, GaP, Si, Cu 2 O, and CuBi 2 O 4 .

6. The wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device of claim 1 , wherein said photocathode is compatible with an anoxic buffered solution.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Li Yat

Classifications

• C25B9/19

  with diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B1/55

  Photoelectrolysis · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02P20/133

  Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight · CPC title

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title