OSMOTIC BIOELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS

• US 20130017414A1
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UWM Research Foundation
• Original Assignee: UWM Research Foundation
• Inventors: He, Zhen
• Granted Patent: US 9,527,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/2
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/25 Recirculation, recycling or bypass, e.g. recirculation of concentrate into the feed
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/252 Recirculation of concentrate
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/002 Forward osmosis or direct osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/025 Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/441 by reverse osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/445 by forward osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46138 Electrodes comprising a substrate and a coating
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/08 Seawater, e.g. for desalination
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/003 Coaxial constructions, e.g. a cartridge located coaxially within another
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46115 Electrolytic cell with membranes or diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/024 Turbulent
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/08 Multistage treatments, e.g. repetition of the same process step under different conditions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/10 Energy recovery
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/16 Regeneration of sorbents, filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/005 Combined electrochemical biological processes aeration by electrolytically produced oxygen bubbles C02F3/202
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/341 Consortia of bacteria
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/131 Reverse-osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/30 Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A bioelectrochemical system comprising:

an anode 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;

a saline solution chamber containing a draw solution and separated from the anode chamber by a forward osmosis membrane; and

a cathode;

wherein water diffuses across the forward osmosis membrane from the aqueous reaction mixture to the draw solution.

2. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the forward osmosis membrane at least partially surrounds and defines the anode chamber.

3. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 2, wherein the anode chamber is at least partially surrounded by the saline solution chamber.

4. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the saline solution chamber is a cathode chamber and the cathode is at least partially positioned within the cathode chamber.

5. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 4, wherein the draw solution is a catholyte solution.

6. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 4, wherein the draw solution comprises sodium chloride.

7. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 4, wherein the diffusion of water across the forward osmosis membrane increases proton transport into the cathode chamber, thereby increasing current generation.

8. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the cathode is separated from the saline solution chamber by a cation exchange membrane.

9. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 8, further comprising a cathode chamber, wherein the cathode is at least partially positioned within the cathode chamber.

10. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 8, wherein the cathode is directly exposed to air.

11. The bioelectrochemical system of claim 8, wherein the draw solution comprises a salt solution having a salt concentration of at least about or greater than 20 g/L.

12. A water treatment process, comprising:

delivering an aqueous reaction mixture to an anode chamber comprising one or more bacteria, the aqueous reaction mixture comprising one or more organic compounds that are oxidized by the one or more bacteria, thereby causing electrons to flow from an anode to a cathode; and

delivering a draw solution to a saline solution chamber separated from the anode chamber by a forward osmosis membrane,

wherein water diffuses across the forward osmosis membrane from the aqueous reaction mixture to the draw solution, thereby diluting the draw solution.

13. The water treatment process of claim 12, wherein the forward osmosis membrane at least partially surrounds the anode chamber and the saline solution chamber is a cathode chamber having the cathode at least partially positioned within the cathode chamber.

14. The water treatment process claim 13, further comprising recycling the draw solution via a recycling means to remove water from the draw solution.

15. The water treatment process of claim 14, wherein the recycling means is reverse osmosis.

16. The water treatment process of claim 13, further comprising delivering the diluted draw solution to a microbial desalination cell.

17. The water treatment process of claim 13, further comprising increasing current generation by the diffusion of protons across the forward osmosis membrane from the aqueous reaction mixture to the draw solution.

18. The water treatment process of claim 12, wherein the forward osmosis membrane at least partially surrounds the anode chamber and the cathode is separated from the saline solution chamber by a cation ion exchange membrane.

19. The water treatment process of claim 18, wherein the cathode is directly exposed to air.

20. The water treatment process of claim 18, wherein the draw solution comprises a salt solution having a salt concentration of at least about or greater than 20 g/L.