Biofuel and electricity producing fuel cells and systems and methods related to same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017271702-A1
Application number	US-201715589950-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 8, 2017
Priority date	Mar 17, 2010
Publication date	Sep 21, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell comprising an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a reference electrode electronically connected to each other; a first biocatalyst comprising a consolidated bioprocessing organism (e.g., a cellulomonad or clostridium or related strains, such as Cellulomonas uda (Cuda), Clostridum lentocellum (Clen), Acetivibrio cellulolyticus ( A. cellulolyticus ), Clostridium cellobioparum ( C. cellobioparum ), alcohol-tolerant C. cellobioparum , alcohol-tolerant Cuda, and combinations thereof) capable of fermenting biomass (e.g., cellulosic biomass or glycerin-containing biomass) to produce a fermentation byproduct; and a second biocatalyst comprising an electricigen (e.g., Geobacter sulfurreducens ) capable of transferring substantially all the electrons in the fermentation byproduct (e.g., hydrogen, one or more organic acids, or a combination thereof) to the anode electrode to produce electricity is disclosed. Systems and methods related thereto are also disclosed.

First claim

1 - 21 . (canceled)

22 . A method comprising:
a consolidated hydrolyzing and fermentation step for converting a biomass to a biofuel with a first organism in an anode chamber, wherein the anode reactor contains an anode electrode and the converting step produces a fermentation byproduct; transferring electrons in the byproduct to the anode electrode with a second organism to produce a film; and allowing the film to catalytically split the electrons and protons, wherein the electrons flow towards a cathode electrode to produce electricity and the protons permeate a proton-exchange membrane connecting the anode chamber and the cathode chamber, wherein the electrons and protons react to produce hydrogen gas.

23 . The method of claim 22 wherein the electricigen is G. sulfurreducens (Gsu).

24 . The method of claim 23 where the first and second organisms are added sequentially.

25 . The method of claim 23 wherein the first and second organisms are added substantially simultaneously.

26 . The method of claim 22 further comprising applying a potential to the anode electrode.

27 . The method of claim 23 wherein the first organism comprises one or more cellulomonads.

28 . The method of claim 22 wherein the biofuel is ethanol.

29 . The method of claim 22 wherein the biofuel is biodiesel fuel.

30 . The method of claim 22 wherein the biomass is a non-food biomass.

31 . The method of claim 30 wherein the non-food biomass is corn stover.

32 . The method of claim 31 wherein the non-food biomass is glycerin-containing water.

33 . A method comprising:
a consolidated hydrolyzing and fermentation step for converting a biomass to a product with one or more mesophilic consolidated bioprocessing organism in a reaction chamber containing the biomass, a second organism comprising an electricigen disposed on an anode electrode contained in the reaction chamber, wherein the converting step produces one or more byproducts; transferring electrons in said byproducts to the anode electrode through the second organism comprising an electricigen; and allowing the second organism to catalytically split electrons and protons from said byproducts, wherein the electrons flow from the anode to a cathode electrode located in the reaction chamber to produce electricity and the electrons and the protons react to produce hydrogen gas.

34 . The method of claim 33 wherein the cathode chamber and the anode chamber comprise a single chamber, wherein the single chamber further comprises a reference electrode.

35 . The method of claim 34 wherein the anode electrode, the cathode electrode and the reference electrode are electronically connected to each other and to an external electric current which creates a potential between the anode and cathode.

36 . The method of claim 33 wherein the anode chamber and cathode chamber are separated by a proton exchange membrane, wherein the anode chamber further comprises a reference electrode.

37 . The method of claim 33 wherein the second organism is disposed on the anode electrode as a film.

38 . The method of claim 33 wherein the electrons and the protons react at the cathode electrode.

39 . The method of claim 33 wherein the product is a biofuel.

40 . The method of claim 39 wherein the biofuel is ethanol or biodiesel fuel.

41 . The method of claim 33 wherein the one or more byproducts comprises one or more fermentation byproducts.

Assignees

• Univ Michigan State

Inventors

• Reguera Gemma
• Speers Allison
• Young Jenna

Classifications

• Y02E50/16

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• C12P7/065

  with microorganisms other than yeasts · CPC title

• C12P7/14

  Multiple stages of fermentation; Multiple types of microorganisms or re-use of microorganisms · CPC title

• Y02E50/13

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M8/16 Primary

  Biochemical fuel cells, i.e. cells in which microorganisms function as catalysts · CPC title