458 results about "Bioelectrochemistry" patented technology

Systems and processes for producing hydrogen using bacteria are described. One detailed process for producing hydrogen uses a system for producing hydrogen as described herein, the system including a reactor. Anodophilic bacteria are disposed within the interior of the reactor and an organic material oxidizable by an oxidizing activity of the anodophilic bacteriais introduced and incubated under oxidizing reactions conditions such that electrons are produced and transferred to the anode. A power source is activated to increase a potential between the anode and the cathode, such that electrons and protons combine to produce hydrogen gas. One system for producing hydrogen includes a reaction chamber having a wall defining an interior of the reactor and an exterior of the reaction chamber. An anode is provided which is at least partially contained within the interior of the reaction chamber and a cathode is also provided which is at least partially contained within the interior of the reaction chamber. The cathode is spaced apart at a distance in the range between 0.1-100 centimeters, inclusive, from the anode. A conductive conduit for electrons is provided which is in electrical communication with the anode and the cathode and a power source for enhancing an electrical potential between the anode and cathode is included which is in electrical communication at least with the cathode. A first channel defining a passage from the exterior of the reaction chamber to the interior of the reaction chamber is also included.

The compositions, methods and apparatus of the present invention allow the production of electricity, ethanol and hydrogen, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the invention provides a process for generating electricity or hydrogen comprising supplying a microbial catalyst and a fuel source to a microbial fuel cell or a bio-electrochemically assisted microbial reactor (BEAMR), respectively, under thermophilic conditions. In other embodiments, the invention provides a process of generating ethanol and electricity or ethanol and hydrogen comprising supplying a microbial catalyst and a fuel source to a fermentation vessel in operable relation with a microbial fuel cell or a BEAMR system, respectively, wherein the microbial catalyst has a cellulolytic activity, an ethanologenic activity, and an electricigenic activity. Other embodiments include compositions and apparati for practicing the invention.

Systems and processes for producing hydrogen using bacteria are described. One detailed process for producing hydrogen uses a system for producing hydrogen as described herein, the system including a reactor. Anodophilic bacteria are disposed within the interior of the reactor and an organic material oxidizable by an oxidizing activity of the anodophilic bacteria is introduced and incubated under oxidizing reactions conditions such that electrons are produced and transferred to the anode. A power source is activated to increase a potential between the anode and the cathode, such that electrons and protons combine to produce hydrogen gas. One system for producing hydrogen includes a reaction chamber having a wall defining an interior of the reactor and an exterior of the reaction chamber. An anode is provided which is at least partially contained within the interior of the reaction chamber and a cathode is also provided which is at least partially contained within the interior of the reaction chamber. The cathode is spaced apart at a distance in the range between 0.1-100 centimeters, inclusive, from the anode. A conductive conduit for electrons is provided which is in electrical communication with the anode and the cathode and a power source for enhancing an electrical potential between the anode and cathode is included which is in electrical communication at least with the cathode. A first channel defining a passage from the exterior of the reaction chamber to the interior of the reaction chamber is also included.

The present invention provides reactor designs, component designs, and operating schemes for removing nitrates and chemical oxygen demand from any suitable wastewater stream. The invention also provides reactor designs, component designs, and operating schemes designed to modify and improve pH and water quality in wastewater streams.

A bioelectrochemical system includes an anode, a saline solution chamber, and a cathode. The anode is at least partially positioned within an anode chamber containing an aqueous reaction mixture including one or more organic compounds and one or more bacteria for oxidizing the organic compounds. The saline solution chamber contains a draw solution and is separated from the anode chamber by a forward osmosis membrane. Water diffuses across the forward osmosis membrane from the aqueous reaction mixture to the draw solution.

The invention belongs to the technical field of biological wastewater treatment, and particularly relates to a bioelectrochemical synchronous nitrification / denitrification denitriding reactor and an application method thereof. The reactor comprises a bed, a biological anode, a biological cathode, a filler, a gas flowmeter, an aerator, an aeration head, a circulating pump and a direct-current stabilized-voltage power supply, wherein the biological cathode and the biological anode are respectively arranged at both sides in the reactor and are respectively connected with the negative pole and the positive pole of the direct-current power supply; the filler is filled in the bed; the aeration head is arranged at the middle upper part of the bed; both ends of the bed are respectively provided with a water inlet and a water outlet and are connected with a circulating pipeline for internal circulation through the circulating pump; and the top of the reactor is provided with a gas outlet through which the reactor is communicated with the outside. The application method of the reactor comprises the following steps: forming an anode ammoxidation biological film and a cathode denitrification biological film, and starting the reactor after the films are successfully formed; carrying out nitrification and denitrification reaction under the condition of 0.2-1.0mg / L of dissolved oxygen; and carrying out denitriding reaction while applying a micro voltage of 0.2-0.5V and keeping a cathode potential of (-100)-(-250)mV. The invention has the advantages of good treatment effect, energy saving, environment friendliness, high start speed, convenient operation process and the like.

The invention provides a method for restoring carbon dioxide to produce methane and acetic acid by utilizing a biological electrochemical system and regulating and controlling microorganism metabolites by utilizing cathodic polarization potential. A bio-cathode is prepared in the biological electrochemical system, carbon dioxide (CO2) is fed into a cathode chamber and an anode chamber to circularly aerate, the cathodic polarization potential is set from -850mV to -1150mV (vs.Ag / AgCl), and microorganism on a cathode can directly obtain electrons from electrodes or from hydrogen produced by the electrodes to restore the carbon dioxide and produce the methane and the acetic acid. The methane and the acetic acid which are microbial synthesis products can be regulated and controlled by setting different cathodic polarization potentials. The electrodes do not need to use expensive catalyst, and are low in cost. The method for restoring the carbon dioxide to produce the methane and the acetic acid by utilizing the biological electrochemical system is rapid in production rate of the methane and the acetic by restoring the carbon dioxide, and has important application prospect for fixedly converting the carbon dioxide and synthetizing organic chemicals.

The invention belongs to the technical field of water treatment, and in particular relates to a nitrogen-containing sewage treatment process and device for synchronously producing electricity and recovering a nitrogen element. The device comprises a bioelectrochemical system and a membrane distillation system, wherein the bioelectrochemical system comprises six parts, namely a positive electrode chamber, a positive membrane, a recovery chamber, a negative membrane, a negative electrode chamber, an outer circuit. The process comprises the following steps: entering nitrogen-containing sewage into the positive electrode chamber, carrying out microorganism anaerobic decomposition on pollutants and transferring electrons to a positive electrode, and further transferring the electrons to a negative electrode through the outer circuit so as to achieve electricity production; entering the nitrogen-containing sewage into the negative chamber for aerobic treatment, thus converting ammonia nitrogen into nitrate nitrogen; respectively entering ammonium radical in the positive electrode chamber and nitrate radical in the negative electrode chamber into the recovery chamber through the positivemembrane and the negative membrane under the driving of potential difference; and treating water in the recovery chamber with the membrane distillation system, and refluxing percolate to the recoverychamber, wherein a concentrated liquid is a solution containing high-concentration ammonium nitrate and the like, thereby achieving the recovery of the nitrogen element. The process provided by the invention is simple and has high efficiency and good economic benefits; and the treatment device is simple in structure, and is convenient for practical application.

The invention discloses a bioelectrochemical film reactor device which comprises an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, an ion selective permeating film, a conductive separating film and an outer resistor, wherein a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe are arranged on the anode chamber; graphite grains are filled in the anode chamber; electrogenic microorganisms are adhered to and grow on the surface of the graphite grains; the anode chamber is provided with graphite rod electrodes; the cathode chamber is sleeved outside the anode chamber; an aerating device is arranged at the bottom of thecathode chamber and is used for supplying oxygen to aerobic microorganisms; the ion selective permeating film is sleeved outside the anode chamber; the conductive separating film is sleeved outside the anode chamber; a clearance is kept between the conductive separating film and the anode chamber; and the outer resistor is serially connected to the graphite rod electrodes and the conductive separating film. In the bioelectrochemical film reactor device, a conductive film separating material is endowed with a double function of film filtration and cathode, and organic matters in wastewater arepartly degraded by anode microorganisms and are converted into electric energy and then are degraded again after entering into the cathode chamber, thereby realizing the wastewater treatment while recycling the electric energy from the process. The bioelectrochemical film reactor device has the advantages of an MBR (Membrane Bioreactor) and an MFC (Microbial fuel cell) and overcomes the defects of the MFC of low biomass and low quality of discharged water.

A process for producing one or more chemical compounds comprising the steps of providing a bioelectrochemical system having an anode and a cathode separated by a membrane, the anode and the cathode being electrically connected to each other, causing oxidation to occur at the anode and causing reduction to occur at the cathode to thereby produce reducing equivalents at the cathode, providing the reducing equivalents to a culture of microorganisms, and providing carbon dioxide to the culture of microorganisms, whereby the microorganisms produce the one or more chemical compounds, and recovering the one or chemical compounds.

The invention relates to bio-electrochemical systems for treating wastewater, and sour gas produced by anaerobic digestion of organic material. The invention further relates to novel anode / cathode pairing schemes, and electric and hydraulic architectures for use in bio-electrochemical systems.

The invention provides a dopamine polymer / noble metal nanoparticle electrochemical sensor as well as a preparation method and application thereof. The novel bioelectrochemical sensor is a three-electrode system sensor, wherein a reference electrode is a saturated calomel electrode, a counter electrode is a platinum wire electrode, and a working electrode is a glassy-carbon electrode modified by noble metal nanoparticles. According to the invention, noble metal nanoparticles are prepared by dropping a new-made dopamine or a ramification solution thereof and a water solution of a noble metal precursor on the glassy-carbon electrode layer by layer and reacting through a self-assembly method; and a dopamine polymer generated through the reaction has adhesion capacity and can increase the firmness of the noble metal nanoparticles and the glassy-carbon electrode. The dopamine polymer / noble metal nanoparticle electrochemical sensor provided by the invention can be applied to the detection of hydrogen peroxide; and a result indicates that the dopamine polymer / noble metal nanoparticle electrochemical sensor provided by the invention has the advantages of simple and fast preparation method, high firmness, low detection limit, good reproducibility and fast response.

The invention relates to a bioelectrochemical sensor for detecting tumor markers and a preparation method thereof. It is a three-electrode system sensor, which is characterized in that the counter electrode in the three electrodes is a platinum electrode, the reference electrode is a saturated calomel electrode, and the working electrode is a gold electrode, and the gold electrode is decorated with two tumor markers The complementary DNA strand of the DNA aptamer, that is, the cDNA strand, is labeled with an electrochemical probe ferrocene molecule at the end of the cDNA strand. The novel bioelectrochemical sensor for detecting tumor markers of the present invention combines the characteristics of highly specific binding of DNA aptamers to target proteins and high sensitivity of electrochemical detection methods, making early diagnosis of cancer possible.

A bioelectricalchemical system includes an anode, an algal bioreactor, and a cathode. The anode is at least partially positioned within an anode chamber containing a first aqueous reaction mixture including one or more organic compounds and one or more bacteria for oxidizing the organic compounds. The algal bioreactor contains a second aqueous reaction mixture including one or more nutrients and one or more algae for substantially removing the nutrients from the second aqueous reaction mixture. The cathode is at least partially positioned within the algal bioreactor.

The invention discloses a combination electrode preparation method and the application of the combination electrode preparation method in a bioelectricity Fenton system, and belongs to the field of environmental engineering and waste water treatment. According to a combination electrode prepared through the combination electrode preparation method, a bioelectrochemistry system serves as a reactor to treat azo dye waste water, anode electro-microorganisms oxidize organic matter so that electrons and protons can be generated, the electrons and the protons are transferred to a cathode chamber through an external circuit and an ion exchange membrane, H2O2 is generated on a cathode in an in-situ mode with O2 as the electron acceptor, a cathode iron source is slowly released, Fenton reaction is performed between iron and H2O2 generated in the in-situ mode, and thus non-biodegradable pollutants are treated.

Enhanced contaminant degradation systems via rapid transfer of electrons in an environment or matrix through bioelectrochemical electron transfer circuitry, electron transfer conduit and conductive materials. Specialized circuitry may be used with respect to the anode, cathode, and transmission line design including floating cathodes, anchored anodes, and the like.

The invention discloses a two-section type microbiological fuel cell which comprises a cathode chamber and an anode chamber, wherein a cathode is inserted in the cathode chamber, an anode is inserted in the anode chamber, an aerobic microorganism culture medium is arranged in the cathode chamber, and an aerobic microorganism film is hung on the surface of the cathode. The two-stage sewage treatment process is combined with the electric power generation process to cause the waste water to be thoroughly degraded by adopting the two-step anaerobic and aerobic process; in addition, the electrochemical activity of the aerobic microorganism is taken as the cathode microbial agent, and oxygen gas is taken as the electron acceptor, therefore, the continuous electric power generation is realized, the current density is improved, the cost of the conventional cathode catalyst is reduced, and the sewage water BOD can be tested by using the cathode aerobic microorganism; the invention has the advantages that the process structure is simple, the operation is easy, the latent electrical energy in the sewage water is 10 times of the processing cost of the sewage water, and the sewage treatment plant can solve the problem of cost of sewage treatment by utilizing 1 / 20 of the latent electrical energy.

The invention belongs to the technical field of treatment of waste water, and particularly relates to a method for reduction of sulfate into sulfide and treatment of metal waste water by sulfate reducing bacteria growing up with electric current. The sulfate reducing bacteria provided by the invention is a mixing bacteria group, which comprises Desulfobulbus propinonicus, geobacter sulfurreducens. Under the condition of lacking organic carbon resource, an electrode is used as the only electronic donator for growing, sulfate is reduced into sulfide via bioelectrical chemistry, and the sulfide is applied to the treatment of metal waste water. According to the method provided by the invention, the defect that organic carbon resource is needed to be used as the electronic donator is overcome,the operation is simple, the secondary pollution is zero, the cost is low, and is particularly suitable for the treatment on organic carbon metal waste water of mine waste water, metal smelting wastewater, electric plating waste water and the like.

The invention provides preparation of a graphene polyaniline modified carbon cloth electrode material, and a method for accelerating the acclimation of a bio-anode, and relates to electrode preparation and bio-anode acclimation. A purpose of the present invention is to solve the technical problem of poor electron transfer efficiency of existing bioelectrochemical anode. The graphene polyaniline modified carbon cloth electrode material preparation method comprises: loading graphene oxide onto a carbon cloth, immersing into a sodium borohydride solution, reducing, immersing into an aniline monomer solution, adding a curing agent solution in a dropwise manner, and polymerizing to obtain the graphene polyaniline modified carbon cloth electrode material. According to the present invention, with the application of the graphene polyaniline modified carbon cloth electrode material as the anode in the bioelectrochemical system reactor, the operation is performed after the starting until the output potential is stable so as to complete the acclimation; and the graphene polyaniline modified carbon cloth electrode material can be used in wastewater treatment.

The invention provides a method for treating dye wastewater by catalyzing biological electro-fenton through iron ore, and belongs to the field of water treatment processes. The method is characterized in that natural iron ore fine powder is adopted as a reaction catalytic substance, and hydrogen peroxide and reduced iron ions generated in cathode through a bioelectrochemistry system are adopted as ferrous ions to realize a fenton reaction as well as realize the oxidation treatment on dye wastewater. According to the method, the electro-fenton in the cathode of the bioelectrochemistry system does not needs hydrogen peroxide; and the natural iron ore fine powder is a natural raw material which is low in price and easy to obtain. The method shows a great effect on treating the dye wastewater, and realizes the treatment to the high-concentration degradable organic wastewater in an anode chamber and the treatment to nonbiodegradable wastewater in a cathode chamber at the same time.

The invention belongs to the bioleaching field and relates to a bio-electrochemical system used for copper sulfide ore leaching. The system utilizes the electron transfer capability of microbes to improve the copper sulfide leaching efficiency, recover elemental sulfur and generate electricity. The system is composed of an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, a cation exchange membrane and an external circuit. Fe<2+> in the anode chamber is oxidized to Fe<3+> under the action of ore leaching bacteria Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, copper sulfide reacts with the oxidation product Fe<3+> to obtain Cu<2+> and elemental sulfur, and Fe<3+> is reduced to Fe<2+> which is reused by the ore leaching bacteria. The transfer of electrons to a cathode from an anode promotes the oxidation of Fe<2+> to Fe<3+> and indirectly promotes the leaching of Cu<2+>. The bio-electrochemical system used in the invention has the advantages of simple technology, easy operation, and low operation cost, and has practical application values.

The present invention relates to a method for producing electrical energy or hydrogen gas from a gas stream containing one or more gaseous compounds that are oxidatively degradable by microbes, the method comprising contacting the gas stream with an anode of a bioelectrochemical device, said anode containing said microbes which oxidatively degrade one or more of said gaseous compounds while producing electrical energy or hydrogen gas by said oxidative degradation, wherein: (i) said anode is sufficiently porous such that gas is permitted to flow therethrough, (ii) said anode contains on its surface and / or interior portions a proton-conducting medium, and (iii) said anode is in electrical communication with a cathode of the bioelectrochemical device. The invention is also directed to a bioelectrochemical device (e.g., microbial fuel cell) configured to accomplish the above method.

The invention relates to a novel DNA aptamer modified bioelectrochemical sensor and a preparation method thereof. The novel bioelectrochemical sensor is of a three-electrode system. The invention is characterized in that in the three electrodes, the counter electrode is a platinum electrode, the reference electrode is a saturated calomel electrode, and the working electrode is a gold electrode; and a DNA aptamer chain is modified on the gold electrode. The novel DNA aptamer modified bioelectrochemical sensor combines the characteristics of the high specificity of the DNA aptamer and the high sensitivity of an electrochemical detection method and ensures that the early diagnosis of cancer cells becomes possible.

The invention relates to a method for recovering multiple metals through driving microbial electrolysis cells by microbial fuel cells, and belongs to the field of heavy metal recovery treatment. The method comprises the following steps: MFCsCr and MFCCu which adopt Cr(VI) and Cu(II) as cathode electron acceptors respectively are connected in series, the anodes of MFCsCr and MFCCu after series connection are connected with the cathode of MECsCd adopting Cd(II) as a cathode electron acceptor, the cathodes of the MFCsCr and MFCCu after series connection are connected with the anode of MECsCd through a series resistor, the cathodes of MFCsCr and MFCCu are carbon rods, the cathode of MECsCd is a stainless steel wire or a titanium sheet, and the anodes of MFCsCr, MFCCu and MECsCd are carbon felts or carbon rods. Through the adoption of the method, organic sewage such as electroplating wastewater, printed circuit board etching wastewater and municipal wastewater can be treated, and Cr metal, Cu metal and Cd metal are recovered, and broad space is provided for expanding the application field and the use range of an electrochemical system by MFCs output electric energy in situ.

The present invention relates to the field of surface water monitoring. More specifically, the present invention provides low-cost, real-time bio-electrochemical sensors for surface water monitoring based on the metabolism of one or more electrogenic microbes.

The invention presents a urea bio-electrochemical (UBE) system to achieve resource recovery from water recycling systems. A GAC-urease bioreactor was used to recover urea from wastewater stream, and converted to ammonia. Then, the ammonia produced was used to feed an electrochemical cell to gather electrical energy. The invention shows the feasibility of using the UBE system in combination with a forward osmosis subsystem for water reclamation.

The invention discloses a method and device for electrochemically treating sewage with low-concentration carbon sources and super-high concentration ammonia nitrogen with microorganisms. The method includes the steps that under the condition that free or only a small quantity of carbon sources exist, high-concentration ammonia nitrogen sewage is treated with the electrochemistry biological denitrification method, ammonia nitrogen pollutant is converted into harmless nitrogen, operation is easy, secondary pollution is avoided, the ammonia nitrogen content of the sewage is up to the standard, and the sewage can be safely discharged; the sewage pretreated by a grating and grit chamber enters an aerobic electrode chamber, a bacteria nitrifying membrane or sludge particulates are subjected to a nitratlon reaction through oxygen generated by electrolyzed water, and ammonia nitrogen is removed; the sewage enters an anaerobic / anaerobic electrode chamber through an isolation pond, a bacteria denitrifying membrane loaded on the conductive electrode surface is subjected to an electrode denitrification reaction through electrons, and nitrate and nitrite are converted into harmless nitrogen. According to the method and device, the occupied area is small, organic carbon sources are not required for denitrification when the high-concentration ammonia nitrogen sewage is treated, the treating efficiency is high, operation is stable, energy is saved, the device is easy and convenient to maintain, and the good application prospects are achieved.

The invention discloses an enzyme bioelectrochemical sensing chip and preparation and using methods thereof, and belongs to the technical field of analysis and detection. The enzyme bioelectrochemical sensing chip comprises an insulating substrate made of a conductivity insulating material, a main electrode attached to the insulating substrate, an auxiliary electrode attached to the insulating substrate and corresponding to the main electrode, a conducting circuit used for electrically connecting the main electrode, the auxiliary electrode and an electronic device, provided with a contact and attached to the insulating substrate, a reagent layer fully or partially covering the surfaces of the main electrode and the auxiliary electrode, an interlayer provided with an opening, made of a conductivity insulating material and covering the main electrode and the auxiliary electrode, and a surface covering layer made of the same conductivity insulating material and covering the interlayer. The enzyme bioelectrochemical sensing chip has the advantages of reasonable design, and effective improvement of use reliability and measurement accuracy of a biochip and products thereof.

Among others, the present invention provides apparatus for detecting circulating tumor cells, comprising a system delivery biological subject and a probing and detecting device, wherein the probing and detecting device includes a first micro-device and a first substrate supporting the first micro-device, the first micro-device contacts a biologic material to be detected and is capable of measuring at the microscopic level an electrical, magnetic, electromagnetic, thermal, optical, acoustical, biological, chemical, electro-mechanical, electro-chemical, electro-optical, electro-thermal, electro-chemical-mechanical, bio-chemical, bio-mechanical, bio-optical, bio-thermal, bio-physical, bio-electro-mechanical, bio-electro-chemical, bio-electro-optical, bio-electro-thermal, bio-mechanical-optical, bio-mechanical thermal, bio-thermal-optical, bio-electro-chemical-optical, bio-electro-mechanical-optical, bio-electro-thermal-optical, bio-electro-chemical-mechanical, physical or mechanical property, or a combination thereof, of the biologic subject.

The invention provides a method for generating hydrogen and converting electricity generation with a biological fuel cell reactor, relating to the filed of environment and biological energy source. The invention uses the biological fuel cell (BFC) reactor to treat solid or liquid organic wastes and convert organic matter into hydrogen gas fuel with high added value or electric energy. By adjusting the process of generating hydrogen / converting electricity generation electrode of the BFC reactor, the invention can improve the conversion efficiency and the use efficiency of the energy. The method couples the electrode of the anaerobic BFC reactor with microorganism into a whole body, ferments the organic matter in way of anaerobism as required, and links a bioelectricity chemical unit to react so as to generate hydrogen or convert electricity generation. By directly converting the electrode process of the BFC reactor of the organic matter biological fermentation, the method can develop the clean biological energy source for generating hydrogen or generating electricity, reasonably switches the hydrogen generation into the electricity generation, and improves reacting efficiency.