Electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, in-series stack thereof, and in-parallel combination thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9391338-B2
Application number	US-201314144014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2013
Priority date	Mar 22, 2013
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, in-series stack thereof, and in-parallel combination thereof. According to various implementation examples, problems relating to scaling up and modularization are overcome, and problems relating to using an electrolyte membrane are solved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, a unit of the microbial fuel cell comprising:
(a) a body having empty top, bottom and inside;
(b) a cathode disposed on the top of the body;
(c) an anode disposed on the bottom of the body;
(d) a plate disposed on a lower surface of the anode;
(e) electrochemically active microorganisms disposed on an upper surface of the anode;
(f) a substrate-containing solution disposed filling the space inside the body between a lower surface of the cathode and the upper surface of the anode;
(g) an inlet via which the substrate-containing solution is introduced; and
(h) an outlet via which the substrate-containing solution is discharged, wherein:
an upper surface of the plate is electrically connected to the lower surface of the anode;
the electrochemically active microorganisms biodegrade the substrate to generate electrons and hydrogen ions, the hydrogen ions passing through the substrate-containing solution to be transferred to the lower surface of the cathode, and the electrons being transferred to the cathode through the plate;
the inlet and the outlet are disposed in two different spaces when the space inside the body between the lower surface of the cathode and the upper surface of the anode is equally divided into the two different spaces horizontally; and
the cathode, the anode, and the plate are sealed in the body so that the substrate-containing solution does not leak through other portions than the outlet.

2. A stack of electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cells, comprising (A) a first electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, (B) a second electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, . . . , (n−1)th a (n−1)th electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, and (N) a nth electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, wherein the second electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell is disposed under the first electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, . . . , the nth electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell is disposed under the (n−1)th electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell, wherein:
the (A) first electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell includes:
(Aa) a first body having empty top, bottom and inside;
(Ab) a first cathode disposed on the top of the first body;
(Ac) a first anode disposed on the bottom of the first body;
(Ad) a first plate disposed on a lower surface of the first anode;
(Ae) first electrochemically active microorganisms disposed on an upper surface of the first anode;
(Af) a first substrate-containing solution filling a first space inside the first body between a lower surface of the first cathode and the upper surface of the first anode;
(Ag) a first inlet via which the first substrate-containing solution is introduced; and
(Ah) a first outlet via which the first substrate-containing solution is discharged, wherein:
an upper surface of the first plate is electrically connected to the lower surface of the first anode;
the first electrochemically active microorganisms biodegrade the first substrate to generate electrons and hydrogen ions, the hydrogen ions passing through first the substrate-containing solution to be transferred to the lower surface of the first cathode, and the electrons being transferred to the cathode through the first plate;
the first inlet and the first outlet are disposed in two different spaces when the first space inside the first body between the lower surface of the first cathode and the upper surface of the first anode is equally divided into the two different spaces horizontally; and
the first cathode, the first anode, and the first plate are sealed in the first body so that the first substrate-containing solution does not leak through other portions than the first outlet;

the (B) second electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell includes:
(Ba) a second body having empty top, bottom and inside;
(Bb) a second cathode disposed on the top of the second body;
(Bc) a second anode disposed on the bottom of the second body;
(Bd) a second plate disposed on a lower surface of the second anode;
(Be) second electrochemically active microorganisms disposed on an upper surface of the second anode;
(Bf) a second substrate-containing solution filling a space inside the second body between a lower surface of the second cathode and the upper surface of the second anode;
(Bg) a second inlet via which the second substrate-containing solution is introduced; and
(Bh) a second outlet via which the second substrate-containing solution is discharged, wherein:
an upper surface of the second plate is electrically connected to the lower surface of the second anode;
the second electrochemically active microorganisms biodegrade the second substrate to generate electrons and hydrogen ions, the hydrogen ions passing through second the substrate-containing solution to be transferred to the lower surface of the second cathode, and the electrons being transferred to the cathode through the second plate;
the second inlet and the second outlet are disposed in two different spaces when the second space inside the second body between the lower surface of the second cathode and the upper surface of the second anode is equally divided into the two different spaces horizontally; and
the second cathode, the second anode, and the second plate are sealed in the second body so that the second substrate-containing solution does not leak through other portions than the second outlet; . . . ;

the (N−1)th electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell includes:
((n−1)a) a (n−1)th body having empty top, bottom and inside;
((n−1)b) a (n−1)th cathode disposed on the top of the (n−1)th body;
((n−1)c) a (n−1)th anode disposed on the bottom of the (n−1)th body;
((n−1)d) a (n−1)th plate disposed on a lower surface of the (n−1)th anode;
((n−1)e) (n−1)th electrochemically active microorganisms disposed on an upper surface of the (n−1)th anode;
((n−1)f) a (n−1)th substrate-containing solution filling a (n−1)th space inside the (n−1)th body between a lower surface of the (n−1)th cathode and the upper surface of the (n−1)th anode;
((n−1)g) an (n−1)th inlet via which the (n−1)th substrate-containing solution is introduced; and
((n−1)h) an (n−1)th outlet via which the (n−1)th substrate-containing solution is discharged, wherein:
an upper surface of the (n−1)th plate is electrically connected to the lower surface of the (n−1)th anode;
the (n−1)th electrochemically active microorganisms biodegrade the (n−1)th substrate to generate electrons and hydrogen ions, the hydrogen ions passing through (n−1)th the substrate-containing solution to be transferred to the lower surface of the (n−1)th cathode, and the electrons being transferred to the cathode through the (n−1)th plate;
the (n−1)th inlet and the (n−1)th outlet are disposed in two different spaces when the (n−1)th space inside the (n−1)th body between the lower surface of the (n−1)th cathode and the upper surface of the (n−1)th anode is equally divided into the two different spaces horizontally; and
the (n−1)th cathode, the (n−1)th anode, and the ((n−1)th plate are sealed in the (n−1)th body so that the (n−1)th substrate-containing solution does not leak through other portions than the (n−1)th outlet;

the (N) nth electrolyte-membraneless microbial fuel cell includes:
(n1) a nth body having empty top, bottom and inside;
(n2) a nth cathode disposed on the top of the nth body;
(n3) a nth anode disposed on the bottom of the nth body;
(n4) a nth plate disposed on a lower surface of the nth anode;
(n5) nth electrochemically active microorganisms disposed on an upper surface of the nth anode;
(n6) a nth substrate-containing solution filling a nth space inside the nth body between a lower surface of the nth cathode and the upper surface of the nth anode;
(n7) an nth inlet via which th

Assignees

• Kwangju Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Chang In Seop
• An Junyeong
• Kim Bongkyu

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/16 Primary

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

• Y02E60/527

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M8/2405

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M8/2459

  Comprising electrode layers with interposed electrolyte compartment with possible electrolyte supply or circulation · CPC title