Chemical processing cell with nanostructured membranes

• US 9,174,173 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University Of Kentucky Research Foundation (University of Kentucky)
• Original Assignee: University Of Kentucky Research Foundation (University of Kentucky)
• Inventors: Bhattacharyya, Dibakar, Lewis, Scott R., Datta, Saurav
• Primary Examiner(s): DESAI, ANAND U
• Application Number:
  US13/459,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20130065287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/30 Cross-linking
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/40 in-situ membrane formation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0079 Manufacture of membranes comprising organic and inorganic components
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/00793 Dispersing a component, e.g. as particles or powder, in another component
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0088 Physical treatment with compounds, e.g. swelling, coating or impregnation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0093 Chemical modification
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/10 Supported membranes; Membrane supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/106 Membranes in the pores of a support, e.g. polymerized in the pores or voids
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/022 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/02231 Palladium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/02232 Nickel
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/34 Polyvinylidene fluoride
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/40 Polymers of unsaturated acids or derivatives thereof, e.g. salts, amides, imides, nitriles, anhydrides, esters
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/44 Polymers obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, not provided for in a single one of groups B01D71/26-B01D71/42
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/70 by reduction C02F1/4676 takes precedence

Abstract

A chemical processing cell includes an upstream membrane and a downstream membrane. The upstream membrane generates a first reaction product. The downstream membrane converts the first reaction product to a second reaction product.

Claims

1. A chemical processing cell, comprising:

an upstream membrane generating hydrogen peroxide from a starting material, wherein said upstream membrane is a layer-by-layer assembly of glucose oxidase in a regenerated cellulose membrane; and

a downstream membrane decomposing said hydrogen peroxide generated by said upstream membrane, wherein said downstream membrane is a poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane with poly(acrylic acid) functionalized pores containing immobilized metal, iron, metal ion, iron ion, iron oxide nanoparticles, iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles, ferrihydrite nanoparticles and mixtures thereof.

2. The cell of claim 1, wherein said downstream membrane further comprises an immobilized catalase enzyme that decomposes hydrogen peroxide produced by said upstream membrane into water and oxygen.

3. The cell of claim 1, wherein glucose oxidase occupies pores of the upstream membrane.

4. The cell of claim 1, further including a housing holding said upstream membrane and said downstream membrane in a flow pathway.

5. A method of detoxifying a water supply, comprising:

passing said water supply containing a target chemical and a hydrogen peroxide precursor through the cell of claim 1;

generating hydrogen peroxide from said hydrogen peroxide precursor; and

decomposing said hydrogen peroxide generated by said upstream membrane into free radical oxidants that oxidize said target chemical.

6. The method of claim 5 including providing glucose as said hydrogen peroxide precursor and reacting said glucose with glucose oxidase immobilized in pores of said upstream membrane to produce said hydrogen peroxide.

7. The method of claim 6 including reacting said hydrogen peroxide generated by said upstream membrane with metal, iron, metal ion, iron ion, iron oxide nanoparticles, iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles, ferrihydrite nanoparticles and mixtures thereof immobilized in pores of said downstream membrane to produce said free radical oxidants.

8. The method of claim 7 including reacting said target chemical with said free radical oxidants in said pores of said downstream membrane.

9. A method of generating gluconic acid comprising:

passing glucose through the cell of claim 1;

generating hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid from said glucose; and

decomposing said hydrogen peroxide generated by said upstream membrane into water and oxygen.

10. The method of claim 9 including reacting said glucose with glucose oxidase immobilized in pores of said upstream membrane to produce hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid.

11. The method of claim 10, including reacting hydrogen peroxide generated by said upstream membrane with catalase enzyme immobilized in pores of said downstream membrane to produce said water and said oxygen.

12. A method of chemical processing, comprising:

passing a starting material into a first plurality of pores in the upstream membrane of the cell of claim 1;

reacting said starting material with glucose oxidase in said first plurality of pores in said upstream membrane so as to produce a first reaction product;

passing said first reaction product into a second plurality of pores in the downstream membrane; and

reacting said first reaction product with immobilized metal, iron, metal ion, iron ion, iron oxide nanoparticles, iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles, ferrihydrite nanoparticles and mixtures thereof in said second plurality of pores in said downstream membrane so as to produce a second reaction product.

13. The method of claim 12 including controlling residence time of said starting material in said first plurality of pores and residence time of said first reaction product in said second plurality of pores.

14. The cell of claim 1, wherein functionalized pores of said downstream membrane comprise an immobilized metal.

15. The cell of claim 1, wherein functionalized pores of said downstream membrane comprise immobilized iron.

16. The cell of claim 1, wherein functionalized pores of said downstream membrane comprise immobilized metal ions.

17. The cell of claim 1, wherein functionalized pores of said downstream membrane comprise immobilized iron ions.

18. The cell of claim 1, wherein functionalized pores of said downstream membrane comprise immobilized iron oxide nanoparticles.

19. The cell of claim 1, wherein functionalized pores of said downstream membrane comprise immobilized iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles.

20. The cell of claim 1, wherein functionalized pores of said downstream membrane comprise immobilized ferrihydrite nanoparticles.