Production of a biofilm on an electrode for a biocell, electrode and biocell obtained

• US 9,673,471 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2009
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, École centrale de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
• Original Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, École centrale de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
• Inventors: Vogel, Timothy, Haddour, Naoufel, Monier, Jean-Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): USYATINSKY, ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US12/994,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20110123876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,932 Days
• Field of Search: 429 2, 429401, 429253, 4352521, 435243
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 11/00 Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/00 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 25/08 electrically charged
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04 Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/16 Biochemical fuel cells, i.e. cells in which microorganisms function as catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method for the production of a biofilm at the surface of an electrode in a liquid medium containing bacteria and a substrate for growth of the bacteria, in which a system of electrodes constituted of two electrodes, which are connected to a direct electric current source, is used, these two electrodes are placed in the medium and a predetermined and constant potential difference is applied between the electrodes, by virtue of which biofilms form at the surface of the electrodes. Resulting electrodes and biocells.

Claims

1. A process for producing a biofilm on the surface of an electrode in a liquid medium containing bacteria and a substrate allowing the bacteria to grow, comprising using a system of electrodes that consists of two electrodes wherein both electrodes are connected to a DC current source, placing these two electrodes in the medium and applying a predetermined constant potential difference between the electrodes, thereby forming biofilms on the surface of the electrodes, wherein the formed biofilm is rich in hi h-redox potential, wherein electron-withdrawing bacteria is produced at the anode and wherein the process does not use a membrane, and wherein the potential difference applied is between 100 mV and 700 mV.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the potential difference applied is between 300 mV and 600 mV.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the potential difference applied is between 450 mV and 550 mV.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the potential difference is applied for a length of time of between 3 and 20 days.

5. The process as claimed in claim 4, in which this length of time is between 4 and 7 days.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the electrodes are made from the same material.

7. The process as claimed in claim 6, in which the anode and/or the cathode are/is based on carbon and/or stainless steel, aluminum, nickel or on titanium alloys.

8. A process for preparing a biofuel cell comprising the preparation of an electrode according to the process as claimed in claim 1 and then the use of this electrode in a biofuel cell as either anode or cathode.

9. A process for producing electricity, in which a biofuel cell such as that obtained in claim 8 is used.

10. An electricity production facility comprising one or more biofuel cell(s) prepared according to claim 8.

11. An electrode coated with a biofilm that can be obtained by implementing the process as claimed in claim 1.

12. An anode coated with a biofilm, containing oxidizing/reducing bacteria, that can be obtained according to claim 1.

13. A biofuel cell comprising an electrode obtained by implementing the process as claimed claim 1.

14. A biofuel cell comprising an anode as claimed in claim 12.

15. A process according to claim 1 wherein the liquid medium is selected from the group consisting of industrial effluents, domestic effluents, agricultural effluents, waste water, water and sludge from wastewater treatment plants, biomass from the food processing industry, and natural water.