Device and method for conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017058409-A1
Application number	US-201615242439-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 25, 2015
Publication date	Mar 2, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for bioassisted conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds that can be used a fuels and chemicals. The present invention also relates to a bioassisted process of converting carbon dioxide to organic compounds.

First claim

1 . A device for bioassisted conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to organic compounds, said device consisting of:
(a) a means of introducing a gas stream containing CO 2 [1] directly or through a microbubble generator [1A] in cathode chamber [2]; (b) a cathode electrode [3]; (c) a cathode aqueous medium [14] comprising chemicals selected from 4-hydroxyphenethyl alcohol, Furanosyl borate ester, oxylipins, N-butyryl-DL-homocysteine thiolactone, 2-Heptyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone and N-Hexanoyl-DL-homoserine lactone N-[(RS)-3-Hydroxybutyryl]-L-homoserine lactone in the range of 0.2-2 ppm for the formation of electroactive microbes biofilm; (d) a biofilm of electroactive microbes [4] consisting of consortia of electroactive microbes selected from Enterobacter aerogenes MTCC 25016, Serratia sp. MTCC 25017, Shewanella sp. MTCC 25020 and Alicaligens sp. MTCC 25022; (e) an anode chamber [5] comprising an anode electrode [6] and an anode medium [7]; (f) a light source [8]; (g) an electrically conductive wire [9]; (h) optionally with:
(i) an ion-exchange membrane [10];
(ii) a CO 2 solubility improving column [11], wherein the CO 2 solubility improving column [11] consists of element [13], wherein the element [13] either consists of a biofilm of microbe selected from Pseudomonas fragi MTCC 25025 or a pure carbonic anhydrase immobilized on some suitable matrix that enhances the solubility of CO 2;
(iii) an in-situ product recovery column [12]; and
(iv) a connector element [12A], which is a means of recirculating an aqueous medium or effluent or an electrolyte medium from the in-situ product recovery column [12] to the CO 2 solubility improving column [11] and back to the cathode chamber [2].

2 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cathode electrode [3] is made of material selected from the group consisting of graphite, graphite felt, porous graphite, graphite powder carbon paper, carbon cloth, carbon felt, carbon wool, carbon foam, stainless steel as such or modified or combinations thereof.

3 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cathode electrode [3] is immersed in an aqueous medium [14] consisting of nitrogen compounds, phosphorus compounds and micronutrients having pH in the range of 5-12.

4 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the microbes of microbial consortia are capable of producing carbonic anhydrase.

5 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light source [7] is sunlight, xenon lamp, etc.

6 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the in-situ product recovery column [10] is made of material selected from ion exchange resins, activated carbon, macroporous polystyrene anion-exchange, hollow fiber membrane, zeolites or activated charcoal.

7 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cathode [2] and anode chamber [5] consist of single or multiple cathode and anode electrodes.

8 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anode chamber [5] and cathode chamber [2] are optionally separated by an ion-exchange membrane [10].

9 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the organic compounds obtained include methanol, ethanol, acetic acid, butanol, proponal, propionic acid, formic acid, butanedioic acid in mixture or individually or any other organic acid, alcohol, aldehyde, ketones with at least one carbon.

10 . A method for bioassisted conversion of CO 2 to organic compounds employing the device as claimed in claim 1 , said method comprising the steps of:
(a) irradiating the anode electrode [6] with light source at a wavelength in range of 380-780 nm; (b) transferring electrons generated at the anode electrode [6] to the cathode chamber [5] via the electrically conductive wire [9]; (c) sparging the gas stream [1] directly or through the microbubble generator [1A] to the CO 2 solubility improving column [11] to enhance the solubility of CO 2 , wherein the CO 2 solubility improving column [11] consist of the element [13], wherein the element [13] either consists of a biofilm of microbe selected from Pseudomonas fragi MTCC 25025 or a pure carbonic anhydrase immobilized on some suitable matrix; (d) passing the highly solubilized stream of CO 2 of step (c) to the cathode chamber [2] near the cathode electrode [3] enveloped by biofilm of electroactive microbes [4], wherein the biofilm of electroactive microbes consist of microbial consortia selected from Enterobacter aerogenes MTCC 25016, Serratia sp. MTCC 25017, Shewanella sp. MTCC 25020 and Alicaligens sp. MTCC 25022; (e) obtaining an organic compound; (f) passing the organic compound of step (e) optionally to the in situ product recovery column [12] to separate the organic compound and aqueous medium or effluent; and (g) recirculating the aqueous medium/effluent without organic compound of step (f) to the CO 2 solubility improving column [11] through the connector element [12A].

11 . The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the anode chamber [5] and cthe athode chamber [2] are optionally separated by an ion-exchange membrane [10] to restrict flow of oxygen to the cathode chamber [2] from theanode chamber [5].

12 . The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the electroactive microbes of biofilm function at a temperature in the range of 10° C. to 52° C.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein step (c) the gas stream consists of N 2 and CO 2 in the ratio of 50:50.

14 . The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the cathode [2] and the anode chamber [5] may consist of single or multiple cathode and anode electrodes.

15 . The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the organic compounds include methanol, ethanol, acetic acid, butanol, proponal, propionic acid, formic acid, butanedioic acid in mixture or individually or any other organic acid, alcohol, aldehyde, ketones with at least one carbon.

16 . A biofilm of electroactive microbes consisting of consortia of electroactive microbes selected from Enterobacter aerogenes MTCC 25016, Serratia sp. MTCC 25017, Shewanella sp. MTCC 25020 and Alicaligens sp. MTCC 25022.

17 . The biofilm of electroactive microbes as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the biofilm of electroactive microbes can be stored in an electrolyte solution in air tight conditions at a temperature of 4-5° C.

18 . The biofilm of electroactive microbes as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the biofilm of electroactive microbes can be stored at a temperature of 4-5° C. by encapsulating with egg membrane or onion cell membrane.

17 . The biofilm of electroactive microbes as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the biofilm of electroactive microbes along with cathode electrode can be lyophilized at a temperature of −80° C.

18 . The biofilm of electroactive microbes as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the electroactive microbes of biofilm are active at a temperature in the range of 10° C. to 52° C.

19 . A method of developing a biofilm of electroactive microbes on a cathode electrode, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) inoculating consortia consisting of two or more microbes selected from Enterobacter aerogenes MTCC 25016, Serratia sp. MTCC 25017, Shewanella sp. MTCC 25020 or Alicaligens sp. MTCC 25022 in a cathode chamber [2] consisting of a cathode electrode [3] immersed in an aqueous medium consisting of nitrogen, phosphorus and micronutrients along with chemicals selected from 4-hydroxyphenethyl alcohol, Furanosyl borate ester, oxylipins, N-butyryl-DL-homocysteine thiolactone, 2-Heptyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone

Assignees

• Indian Oil Corp Ltd

Inventors

• Kumar Manoj
• Singh Mahendra Pratap
• Srivastava Umish
• Gupta Anurag Ateet
• Das Biswapriya

Classifications

• C25B15/08

  Supplying or removing reactants or electrolytes; Regeneration of electrolytes · CPC title

• C25B3/04 Primary

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B11/0442

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B9/10

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B3/26

  of carbon dioxide · CPC title