Internal gas and liquid distributor for electrodeionization device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9339764-B2
Application number	US-201313780019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 12, 2012
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides a resin-wafer electrodeionization (RW-EDI) apparatus including cathode and anode electrodes separated by a plurality of porous solid ion exchange resin wafers, which when in use are filled with an aqueous fluid. The apparatus includes one or more wafers comprising a basic ion exchange medium, and preferably includes one or more wafers comprising an acidic ion exchange medium. The wafers are separated from one another by ion exchange membranes. The gas and aqueous fluid are introduced into each basic wafer via a porous gas distributor which disperses the gas as micro-sized bubbles laterally throughout the distributor before entering the wafer. The fluid within the acidic and/or basic ion exchange wafers preferably includes, or is in contact with, a carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzyme or inorganic catalyst to facilitate conversion of bicarbonate ion to carbon dioxide within the acidic medium.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A resin-wafer electrodeionization (RW-EDI) apparatus for removing carbon dioxide from a gas stream, the apparatus comprising:
a cathode; and
an anode that is separated from the cathode by a plurality of porous solid ion exchange resin wafers arranged in a stack between the cathode and the anode, and comprising pairs of alternating basic and acidic wafers with a basic wafer and an acidic wafer in each pair, and a cation exchange membrane between the basic and acidic wafers of each pair; the cathode being adjacent to a basic wafer with a bipolar membrane therebetween, the anode being adjacent to an acidic wafer with a bipolar ion exchange membrane therebetween, each pair of wafers being separated from an any adjacent pair by a bipolar ion exchange membrane; and each basic wafer contacting a primary porous gas distributor across an inlet end of the basic wafer;
wherein:
each basic wafer comprises a porous basic ion exchange medium and each acidic wafer comprises a porous acidic ion exchange medium;
each primary porous gas distributor is adapted and configured to introduce a CO 2 -containing gas into an aqueous fluid as micro-sized gas bubbles and laterally distribute the gas bubbles and fluid throughout the primary porous gas distributor and into the inlet end of the basic wafer in contact therewith;
the basic ion exchange medium within each basic wafer is adapted and configured to convert CO 2 from the gas into bicarbonate ion, and the basic wafers are adapted to vent a CO 2 -depleted gas therefrom;
each acidic wafer is adapted to vent CO 2 gas generated in the acidic ion exchange medium thereof out of the apparatus;
each wafer has a thickness in the range of about 1 mm to about 20 mm;
an intermediate porous as distributor is positioned between the inlet end and an outlet end of each basic wafer, dividing the basic wafer into two portions, and
when in use, bicarbonate-containing fluid flows from the basic ion exchange medium into the acidic ion exchange medium in fluid communication therewith to convert bicarbonate ion into CO 2 gas, and the cathode, gas distributors, wafers, cation exchange membranes, bipolar ion exchange membranes, and the anode together are adapted and configured to direct a net flow of protons through the wafers toward the direction of the cathode and a net flow of hydroxyl ions through the wafers toward the direction of the anode when an electric potential is applied across the cathode and anode, to thereby maintain a basic pH in each basic wafer portion and an acidic pH in each acidic wafer during capture and release of CO 2 from the gas stream.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acidic ion exchange medium contains a carbonic anhydrase enzyme or inorganic catalyst to facilitate conversion of bicarbonate ion to gaseous CO 2 .

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the carbonic anhydrase enzyme or inorganic catalyst is chemically bound to the acidic ion exchange medium.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the basic ion exchange medium contains a carbonic anhydrase enzyme or inorganic catalyst to facilitate conversion of gaseous CO 2 to bicarbonate ion.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the carbonic anhydrase enzyme or inorganic catalyst is chemically bound to the basic ion exchange medium.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each primary porous gas distributor and intermediate porous gas distributor comprises a porous polymeric foam.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each primary porous gas distributor comprises a porous polymeric foam.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the porous gas distributor has an average pore size of about 100 to about 600 micrometers.

9. A resin-wafer electro deionization (RW-EDI) apparatus for removing carbon dioxide from a gas stream, the apparatus comprising:
a cathode; and
an anode that is separated from the cathode by a plurality of porous solid ion exchange resin wafers, wherein the cathode anode and wafers are interleaved with ion exchange membranes;
the plurality of wafers being arranged in a stack between the cathode and the anode, and comprising one or more basic wafers;
each basic wafer comprising a porous basic ion exchange medium, and contacting a primary porous gas distributor across an inlet end of the basic wafer;
each primary porous gas distributor having an average pore size in the range of about 100 to about 600 micrometers, and being adapted to introduce a CO 2 -containing gas into an aqueous fluid as gas bubbles and disperse the gas bubbles and fluid laterally throughout the distributor;
the basic ion exchange medium within each basic wafer being adapted to convert CO 2 from the gas into bicarbonate ion, and vent a CO 2 -depleted gas therefrom; and
an intermediate porous as distributor having an average pore size in the range of about 100 to about 600 micrometers is positioned between the inlet end and an outlet end of each basic wafer, dividing the basic wafer into two portions;
wherein in use, bicarbonate-containing fluid flows out of the apparatus as a concentrated bicarbonate ion solution, and the basic pH of the basic ion exchange medium is maintained by application of an electric potential across the anode and cathode.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the basic ion exchange medium contains a carbonic anhydrase enzyme or inorganic catalyst to facilitate conversion of gaseous CO 2 in bicarbonate ion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the carbonic anhydrase enzyme or inorganic catalyst is chemically bound to the basic ion exchange medium thereof to facilitate conversion of gaseous CO 2 into bicarbonate ion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each wafer has a thickness in the range of about 1 mm to about 20 mm.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the primary porous gas distributor and the intermediate porous gas distributor each comprises a porous polymeric foam.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the primary porous gas distributor comprises a porous polymeric foam.

Assignees

• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• Lin Yupo J
• Snyder Seth W
• Henry Michael P
• Datta Saurav

Classifications

• B01D2251/604

  Hydroxides · CPC title

• C10L3/104

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• B01D53/227

  in parallel connexion · CPC title

• B01D2313/16

  Specific vents · CPC title

• B01D2257/504

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title