Electrochemically activated anolyte and catholyte liquid

• US 8,007,654 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Field, Bruce F., Gronlund, Patrick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell; Bruce F
• Application Number:
  US11/655,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20070187262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 210/748, 210/764, 210/198.1, 210/748.1, 210/748.17, 210/758, 204/554, 204/660, 422/28, 422/30, 422/31, 422/224, 422/225, 422/231, 422/305, 205/473, 205/742, 205/755, 205/756, 205/757, 205/746
• US Class Current: 205/746
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/03 characterised by having provisions for supplying cleaning or polishing agents A47L11/065, A47L11/085, A47L11/125, A47L11/145, A47L11/161, A47L11/1625, A47L11/185, A47L11/201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4016 specially adapted for collecting fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4083 Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4618 for producing "ionised" acidic or basic water
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4672 by electrooxydation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/36 Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis

Abstract

An electrochemically activated fluid is provided, which has an anolyte and a catholyte. For example, a sparged anolyte and a sparged catholyte are provided. In another example, a combined anolyte and catholyte is provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

producing a reaction product from water being in contact with an anode in an anode chamber and water being in contact with a cathode in a cathode chamber of a functional generator, the anode and cathode being separated by a membrane that permits one-way transport across the membrane of selected ions generated by the cathode or anode, the reaction product comprising an anolyte produced by the anode and a catholyte produced by the cathode;

combining all of the anolyte produced by the anode and all of the catholyte produced by the cathode along a flow path from the functional generator, without valving, to produce a combined anolyte and catholyte liquid without intermediately storing either the anolyte or the catholyte and without feeding back any of the anolyte or the catholyte to the anode chamber or the cathode chamber; and

periodically alternating relative polarities of the anode and cathode for equal time periods at each polarity to produce a ratio of essentially one part anolyte to one part catholyte in the combined anolyte and catholyte liquid along the flow path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the membrane permits one-way transport of hydrogen ions towards the cathode, the hydrogen ions having been generated by the anode.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the membrane permits transport across the membrane of ions generated by the cathode towards the anode.

4. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

sparging the water by electrolysis in an electrolysis cell having no ion exchange membrane.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the catholyte is characterized by a stochiometric excess of hydroxide ions.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the pH of the catholyte is about greater than 7.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the pH of the catholyte is about 9 to 12.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the catholyte has an oxidation-reduction potential of about −

150 mV to about −

1000 mV.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the anolyte has a pH of about less than 7.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the anolyte has a pH of about 2.5 to about 6.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the oxidation-reduction potential of the anolyte is about +100 mV to about +1200 mV.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional generator produces a different volume of anolyte than catholyte at each polarity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative polarities are alternated every 5 seconds.

14. A method comprising:

passing water through a functional generator having an anode in an anode chamber and a cathode in a cathode chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane to produce an anolyte and a catholyte by electrolysis;

combining all of the anolyte and all of the catholyte produced by the functional generator, without valving, to produce a combined anolyte and catholyte output stream without intermediately storing either the anolyte or the catholyte and without feeding back any of the anolyte or the catholyte to the anode chamber or the cathode chamber; and

periodically alternating relative polarities of a relatively steady state voltage applied to the anode and cathode for equal time periods at each polarity during the step of passing to produce a ratio of essentially one part of the anolyte to one part of the catholyte in the combined anolyte and catholyte output stream along the flow path.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein during the step of passing, the functional generator produces a different volume of the anolyte than the catholyte at each polarity.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the relative polarities are alternated every 5 seconds.