JP6586801B2 - Microbial fuel cell - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a microbial fuel cell that recovers electrical energy by the action of microorganisms from organic substances contained in waste water and waste.

  In recent years, attempts have been made to improve energy recovery efficiency in order to put to practical use a microbial fuel cell that recovers electrical energy from organic substances contained in waste water and wastes by the action of microorganisms (Patent Documents 1 and 2). etc).

JP 2009-93661 A JP-A-2015-95274

  In a conventional microbial fuel cell reactor (hereinafter referred to as “reactor”), the flow of the substrate liquid tends to stagnate in the vicinity of the corners or the inner wall surface of the reactor or the surface irregularities such as electrodes. In particular, a dead space that reduces the effective volume of the reactor is likely to occur in the stagnant region of the substrate liquid flow in the portion having the angle of the uneven portion.

  In addition, high-concentration organic substances such as sludge generated by biological treatment of sewage are considered to be promising substrates because of their ease of securing as a substrate for microbial fuel cells, but they contain a large amount of solids such as organic and inorganic substances. There were the following problems in using the raw material as a substrate for a microbial fuel cell.

  That is, when a raw material containing a large amount of solids such as organic matter and inorganic matter is used as a substrate for a microbial fuel cell, it is supplied to the reactor even if it is high in concentration and poor in fluidity and is subjected to a solubilization treatment. It is practically difficult to reduce the amount of solids that are turbid components in the substrate to an extremely low level. Therefore, turbid components tend to accumulate in the stagnant region of the flow along with the bottom of the reactor.

  For example, when the substrate liquid is allowed to flow in the horizontal direction in a rectangular parallelepiped reactor disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc., the bottom of the reactor, the corners inside the reactor, and the reactor inner wall and electrode of Patent Document 2 It is easy to form a flow stagnation region in the contact portion.

  Therefore, the electrodes installed in the flow stagnation region function effectively by (1) not being able to sufficiently supply fresh organic substrates, and (2) by covering the electrode surface with turbid components. The electrode area is reduced, and (3) there is no means for improvement, and there is an electrode region that is not subjected to microbial power generation. By increasing this, it is impossible to continuously recover electric energy stably. Become.

  Furthermore, when digested sludge from the digestion tank, which can be secured in a large amount at the sewage treatment plant, is used as a raw material, methane bacteria remain in the digested sludge, so in the accumulated sludge in the reactor An anaerobic state is formed, and methane-fermenting bacteria are easy to grow. And since the organic component in the substrate (sludge) is consumed by the growth of this methane bacterium, the activity of the current producing bacterium decreases, and as a result, the iron respiration of the current producing bacterium carried on the anode is not performed, Power generation will be hindered.

  Therefore, in order to widely spread the microbial fuel cell, it is necessary to solve the problems of the conventional reactor described above.

  Therefore, the flow of the substrate liquid can be improved by devising the reactor structure to cope with diversification of substrates (soluble organic substrates and organic substrates containing turbid components) and turbidity accumulated in the reactor. The problem is to make it easier to remove the quality component and to improve the maintainability of the reactor including the electrode.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to realize continuous and stable recovery of electric energy in a microbial fuel cell.

  The present invention provides a cylindrical power generation container in which a substrate liquid supplied for power generation is supplied from the upper end side and a substrate liquid supplied for power generation is discharged from the lower end side, and is housed in the power generation container. And an electrode unit having an electrode portion including an anode for supplying the substrate solution, a cathode for supplying air, and an ion-permeable diaphragm interposed between the anode and the cathode.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the collection | recovery of the stable electric energy can be implement | achieved continuously in a microbial fuel cell, and a microbial fuel cell can be spread widely.

The basic block diagram of the microbial fuel cell in embodiment of this invention. (A) is a side view of an electrode unit in an embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a front view of the unit, and (c) is a plan view showing one end face of a connecting pipe of the unit. (A) is a side view of the unit, (b) is a perspective view of a pair of electrode portions provided in the unit, and (c) is an exploded view of the unit. The top view of the electrode accommodating part provided with the electrode unit of Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A) is a side view which shows the other example of an electrode unit, (b) is a front view of the example of the same. The top view of the electrode accommodating part in Embodiment 2 of this invention. The basic block diagram of the microbial fuel cell in Embodiment 3 of this invention. (A) is a perspective view of the substrate liquid introducing | transducing part of Embodiment 3, (b) is a perspective view of the electrode accommodating part provided with the electrode unit and substrate liquid introducing | transducing part of the embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Example of basic configuration of microbial fuel cell]
The basic configuration of the microbial fuel cell of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The microbial fuel cell 1 of the present embodiment includes a power generation container 2 to which a substrate liquid containing an organic substance is supplied, and an electrode unit 3 accommodated in the power generation container 2.

  The power generation container 2 includes a cylindrical electrode housing portion 20 that houses the electrode unit 3, an inflow portion 21 that is connected to the upper end portion of the electrode housing portion 20 and into which the substrate liquid flows, and a lower end portion of the electrode housing portion 20. And a discharge unit 22 to be connected.

  The inflow portion 21 has a hollow conical shape. The inflow portion 21 is detachable from the electrode housing portion 20 from the viewpoint of convenience of maintenance in the electrode unit 3 and the power generation container 2. In addition, an inflow pipe 23 through which the substrate solution flows is connected to the upper end of the inflow section 21. The inflow pipe 23 is made of a chemical resistant material exemplified by a silicone tube. The substrate solution is introduced into the inflow pipe 23 by a metering pump (not shown).

  The discharge part 22 has a hollow inverted conical shape, and an outflow pipe 24 through which the internal liquid of the electrode housing part 20 flows out is connected to the lower end part thereof. Similarly to the inflow pipe 23, the outflow pipe 24 is made of the chemical-resistant material. The tip position of the outflow pipe 24 is arranged above the liquid level of the internal liquid in the inflow part 21 so that the internal liquid in the electrode housing part 20 is not discharged due to the siphon effect. The internal liquid may be drawn by connecting a discharge pump to the lower part of the discharge unit 22 via the outflow pipe 24.

  As a constituent material of the electrode accommodating part 20, the inflow part 21, and the discharge | emission part 22, an acrylic resin is illustrated. The constituent material is corrosion resistant, can withstand the mass of the substrate liquid provided in the power generation container 2 and the electrode unit 3, and if it can be machined for mounting the electrode unit 3, it is particularly acrylic. It is not limited to resin. As a constituent material other than the acrylic resin, steel materials exemplified by stainless steel, resins other than acrylic, for example, vinyl chloride, others, FRP, concrete, and the like can be applied as appropriate.

  As described above, since the inflow portion 21 has a conical shape, the power generation container 2 forms a dispersed flow in which the substrate liquid introduced into the inflow portion 21 spreads horizontally in the electrode accommodating portion 20. The substrate liquid can be dispersed almost uniformly in the electrode unit 3 in the electrode housing portion 20. If the expected dispersion flow cannot be obtained with this structure, a dispersion member for dispersing the flow of the substrate liquid may be provided in the inflow portion 21.

[Configuration example of electrode unit]
A configuration example of the electrode unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The electrode unit 3 includes an electrode part 34 including an anode 31 provided with a substrate, a cathode 32 provided with air, and an ion-selective diaphragm 33 interposed between the anode 31 and the cathode 32, and a pair of electrodes. The part 34 includes a frame 35 attached with the cathode 32 facing the part 34.

  The anode 31 is formed by supporting current-producing bacteria (anaerobic microorganisms) on the surface of a carbon fiber or the like formed into a plate shape. Examples of the material on which the current-producing bacteria are supported include graphite, porous graphite, filled graphite powder, carbon cloth, carbon felt, carbon paper, carbon wool, conductive metal, and conductive polymer.

  The cathode 32 is formed by applying a platinum catalyst to a carbon flat plate whose main surface is approximately the same size as the main surface of the anode 31. The carbon flat plate is also made of the material of the anode 31 exemplified above. As the catalyst supported on the cathode 32, platinum is usually adopted. In addition, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, palladium, tin, tungsten, platinum noble metals, and alloys containing these are also included. Or a compound etc. are also employable.

  The ion selective membrane 33 is made of an ion exchange membrane exemplified by a copolymer of fluororesin. In addition to the fluororesin copolymer, the ion-selective diaphragm 33 may be a cation-selective diaphragm, such as a tetrafluoroethylene copolymer or perfluorovinyl ether sulfonic acid. In addition to the cation selective diaphragm, a hydroxide ion (anion) exchange membrane having an ammonium hydroxide group (quaternary ammonium group) is appropriately employed as the anion selective diaphragm.

  A connection pipe 36 is connected near one end of the longitudinal side surface of the frame 35. The connection pipe 36 includes an air supply pipe 37 that supplies air into the frame 35, an exhaust pipe 38 that ventilates the atmosphere inside the frame 35 (atmosphere on the cathode 32 side), and the anodes 31, The conducting wires 39 connected to the cathode 32 and the conducting wires 39 respectively connected to the anode 31 and the cathode 32 of the other electrode portion 34 are inserted.

  An acrylic resin is exemplified as a constituent material of the frame body 35 and the connection pipe 36, but the material is not particularly limited to the acrylic resin as long as it has corrosion resistance and can be machined for connection attachment. As a constituent material other than the acrylic resin, a steel material exemplified by stainless steel, a resin other than acrylic, for example, vinyl chloride, others, FRP, and concrete can be applied as appropriate.

  An electric wire covered with an insulating material is applied to the conductive wire 39. The connecting portion between the anode 31 and the conducting wire 39 and the connecting portion between the cathode 32 and the conducting wire 39 are appropriately subjected to insulation treatment with a known electrically insulating putty material.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of electrode portions 34 face the cathode 32, and further, the anode 31 of one electrode portion 34, the conductor 39 of the cathode 32, and the anode 31 and cathode 32 of the other electrode portion 34. In a state where the conducting wire 39 is pulled out from the frame body 35 through the connecting pipe 36, the lead wire 39 is liquid-tightly fixed to the opening peripheral portion 30 of the frame body 35 with an adhesive or the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the frame 35, the distal end portion of the exhaust pipe 38 is disposed at a position as far as possible from the distal end portion of the air supply pipe 37. Further, the gap between the inner surface of the connection pipe 36 and the conductor 39, the air supply pipe 37, and the exhaust pipe 38 is subjected to a liquid-tight process with an adhesive or a putty (for example, an electrically insulating putty). And the conducting wire 39 pulled out from the frame 35 via the connecting pipe 36 is electrically connected to an external electric circuit (not shown).

  The electrode unit 3 supplies air (or any other gas containing oxygen) into the frame body 35 through the air supply pipe 37, and discharges it from the frame body 35 through the exhaust pipe 38. The cathode 32 in the body 35 is caused to function as an air cathode of the microbial fuel cell 1.

  The purpose of ventilating the inside of the electrode unit 3 by supplying and exhausting air is as follows.

  When a cation exchange membrane is employed for the ion-selective diaphragm 33, oxygen in the air is consumed and water is generated in the reaction on the cathode 32 side. For this reason, it is necessary to always ventilate and replenish oxygen and to prevent the cathode 32 from getting wet excessively by removing moisture.

  On the other hand, when an anion exchange membrane is employed for the ion selective diaphragm 33, in the reaction on the cathode 32 side, oxygen and water on the surface of the cathode 32 are consumed to generate hydroxide ions. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent the cathode 32 from drying by constantly supplying ventilation to supply oxygen and supplying water.

  Moreover, the electrode unit of this invention should just be provided with at least one electrode part 34. FIG. Furthermore, the electrode part 34 does not need to be provided on the entire surface of the electrode unit, and the electrode part 34 may be provided at least at a part of the electrode unit.

  In addition, connection with the connection pipe 36 of the electrode unit etc. outside the electrode accommodating part 20 may be possible by simple connection by a one-touch joint, an insertion type electric wire connector, etc., and workability | operativity improves by this.

[Embodiment 1]
A microbial fuel cell 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The microbial fuel cell 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a plurality of electrode units 3 of FIG. 2 as appropriate (eight in the illustrated example) on the inner peripheral surface of the electrode housing portion 20 of the power generation container 2. .

  A plurality of support holes 28 through which the connecting pipe 36 of the electrode unit 3 is inserted are formed in the peripheral wall portion 27 of the electrode housing portion 20 at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the electrode housing portion 20. On the other hand, the connecting pipe 36 of the electrode unit 3 is formed with a male screw portion that is screwed with a female screw portion of a fastener 29 that fixes the electrode unit 3 to the peripheral wall portion 27.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the electrode housing portion 20, a positioning stopper 26 that comes into contact with the peripheral edge portion of the frame body 35 of the electrode unit 3 supported by the support holes 28 may be provided. When the electrode unit 3 is attached, the electrode unit 3 can be easily positioned. Furthermore, during operation of the microbial fuel cell 1, the electrode unit 3 held by the connecting pipe 36 in the power generation container 2 is supported by the positioning stopper 26, so that the fixing strength of the electrode unit 3 in the power generation container 2 is increased. The reliability of maintaining the performance of the fuel cell is improved.

  Further, on the inner peripheral surface, even if a positioning stopper (not shown) that contacts the lower end portion of the frame body 35 of the supported electrode unit 3 is provided instead of the positioning stopper 26, the positioning of the electrode unit is facilitated. As it becomes, the fixing strength increases. When the positioning stopper is used in combination with the positioning stopper 26, the fixing strength is further increased.

  A method of fixing the electrode unit 3 to the power generation container 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The connection pipe 36 of the electrode unit 3 is inserted into the support hole 28 of the electrode housing part 20, and a packing and an O-ring are attached to the connection pipe 36 protruding outside the electrode housing part 20. A fastener 29 is attached to the connection pipe 36. When screwed, the electrode unit 3 is fixed in the electrode housing portion 20. The lead wire 39, the air supply pipe 37, and the exhaust pipe 38 drawn out from the connection pipe 36 are connected to an external electric circuit, an air supply pipe, and an exhaust pipe, respectively.

  The flow of the substrate solution in the power generation container 2 during operation of the microbial fuel cell 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the power generation container 2, the inner surface of the inflow portion 21 is tapered so that the flow of the substrate liquid introduced into the power generation container 2 becomes a diffusion flow along the inner surface in the region of the inflow portion 21, and the electrode housing portion 20. In this area, it becomes a downward flow. Moreover, since the inner surface of the discharge part 22 has a tapered shape, the substrate liquid supplied to the electrode unit 3 is discharged from the power generation container 2 without remaining with the precipitate.

  Furthermore, the power generation container 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the plurality of electrode units 3 in the power generation container 2 are arranged along the flow direction of the substrate solution provided from the inflow portion 21. Thereby, the resistance by the surface of the power generation container 2 and the electrode unit 3 with respect to the flow direction of the substrate liquid is reduced, and the region in which the flow of the substrate liquid in the power generation container 2 tends to stagnate is eliminated.

  And since the several electrode unit 3 is arrange | positioned radially from the axial center of the power generation container 2, and the conducting wire 39 of the electrode unit 3, the air supply pipe 37, and the exhaust pipe 38 are withdraw | derived from the outer peripheral surface of the electrode accommodating part 20, Disturbances in the flow of the substrate liquid due to the wiring and piping of the unit 3 are also eliminated.

  As described above, according to the microbial fuel cell 1 of the present embodiment, the flow of the substrate liquid is improved, and the turbid components deposited in the power generation container 2 are removed. Realize.

  In addition, although the power generation container 2 of this embodiment comprises a cylindrical body, the shape of the power generation container which concerns on this invention is not limited to a cylindrical body, For example, employ | adopts the cylindrical body which has the curved surface illustrated by the barrel shape. Also good. In other words, the power generation container according to the present invention does not have to have a surface whose inner surface has a bending angle of 90 ° or less where the flow of the substrate liquid tends to stagnate with respect to the flow direction of the substrate liquid. Therefore, you may employ | adopt a hollow polygonal column-shaped cylinder.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, you may provide the electrode unit 3 shown in FIG. 5 instead of the electrode unit 3 of FIG. The electrode unit 3 includes a first connection pipe 41 through which a conducting wire 39 is inserted in the vicinity of one end of a longitudinal side surface portion of the frame 35 and a second connection pipe 42 through which air is supplied to the cathode 32, A third connection pipe 43 for ventilating the atmosphere in the frame 35 (atmosphere on the cathode 32 side) is provided near the other end. And in the surrounding wall part 27 of the electrode accommodating part 20, the support hole 28 in which each of this 1st connection pipe 41-the 3rd connection pipe 43 is penetrated is formed.

  By providing the first connection pipe 41, the second connection pipe 42, and the third connection pipe 43 as in the electrode unit 3 of this embodiment, there are a plurality of fixing points with respect to the power generation container 2, and the electrode unit 3 in the power generation container 2. Can be supported more stably.

  Further, since the second connection pipe 42 and the third connection pipe 43 are arranged apart from each other at the longitudinal side surface portion of the frame body 35, the distal end portion of the exhaust pipe 38 is provided in the frame body 35 as in the electrode unit 3 of FIG. No need to pull in.

[Embodiment 2]
The microbial fuel cell 1 shown in FIG. 6 includes a cylindrical attachment tube portion 5 that is arranged coaxially with the power generation vessel 2 (electrode housing portion 20) so as to be removable from the power generation vessel 2. Then, a plurality (four in the illustrated example) of electrode units 3 are appropriately attached and supported on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 5, and the plurality of electrode units 3 are arranged radially from the axis of the power generation container 2. .

  When a plurality of electrode units 3 in FIG. 2 are supported by the mounting cylinder 5, a support pipe 36 is inserted into the peripheral wall 50 of the mounting cylinder 5 to support the electrode unit 3. A plurality of holes 51 are formed at regular intervals along the outer periphery of the mounting cylinder portion 5.

  When the electrode unit 3 of FIG. 5 is supported by the mounting cylinder 5, the first connecting pipe 41 to the third connecting pipe 43 are inserted into the peripheral wall 50 of the mounting cylinder 5 to support the electrode unit 3. A plurality of supporting holes 51 are formed at regular intervals along the outer periphery of the mounting cylinder portion 5.

  All the electrode units 3 attached to the attachment cylinder 5 are prevented from falling off by a binding band 53 that surrounds and binds all the electrode units 3. As the binding band 53, a band made of fluororesin or stainless steel is used.

  When the diameter of the attachment cylinder part 5 is relatively large, the electrode unit 3 is attached to the attachment cylinder part 5 in the same manner as the attachment method of the electrode unit 3 described with reference to FIG. For example, when the electrode unit 3 of FIG. 2 is attached to the attachment tube portion 5, a male thread portion that is screwed with the female thread portion of the fastener 52 is formed in advance in the connection pipe 36 of the electrode unit 3. Next, a packing and an O-ring are attached to the connection pipe 36 that is inserted into the support hole 51 from the outside of the attachment cylinder part 5 and introduced into the attachment cylinder part 5, and the fastener 52 is screwed to the connection pipe 36. Then, the electrode unit 3 is fixed to the mounting cylinder 5. Then, the lead wire 39, the air supply pipe 37, and the exhaust pipe 38 drawn out from the connection pipe 36 in the mounting cylinder portion 5 are further led out of the power generation vessel 2 to be connected to an electric circuit, an air supply pipe, and an exhaust pipe (not shown). Each is connected.

  The electrode unit 3 of FIG. 5 is also attached to and supported by the attachment cylinder portion 5 by the same method as the attachment method described above. The conducting wire 39 drawn out from the first connecting pipe 41 introduced into the mounting cylinder 5 is led out of the power generation vessel 2 and connected to an electric circuit (not shown). Further, the second connection pipe 42 and the third connection pipe 43 introduced into the attachment cylinder portion 5 are respectively connected to separate air supply pipes and exhaust pipes introduced from the outside of the power generation container 2.

  When the diameter of the mounting cylinder 5 is relatively small, the electrode unit 3 shown in FIG. 2 or 5 is attached and supported in advance on the mounting cylinder 5, and the conductor 39 of the electrode unit 3 is not shown. After the air supply pipe 37, the exhaust pipe 38 or the second connection pipe 42, and the third connection pipe 43 of the electrode unit 3 are connected to the separate air supply pipe and exhaust pipe, respectively, the attachment cylinder portion 5 is connected to the electric circuit. Is introduced into the power generation container 2 and disposed in the electrode housing portion 20.

  In the microbial fuel cell 1 according to the second embodiment described above, since the attachment cylinder portion 5 to which the plurality of electrode units 3 are attached can be pulled out from the power generation container 2, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the plurality of electrode units 3. Can be taken out from the power generation container 2 while being provided in the power generation container 2 collectively. Therefore, handling of the electrode unit 3 is facilitated during maintenance of the microbial fuel cell 1.

  Moreover, if the attachment cylinder part 5 with which the electrode unit 3 was mounted | worn is immersed in the liquid phase of the existing wastewater treatment facilities, such as a sludge digester, for example, the electric power generation using the existing wastewater treatment facility can be performed.

  As described above, the application of the microbial fuel cell is expected to expand the aspect of this embodiment.

[Embodiment 3]
The microbial fuel cell 1 of the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is different from the microbial fuel cell 1 of the first embodiment in that the substrate liquid is dispersed in the horizontal direction after being introduced into the electrode housing portion 20 of the power generation container 2. Different from the configuration.

  The microbial fuel cell 1 of the third embodiment has the same configuration as the microbial fuel cell 1 of the first embodiment except that the substrate liquid introducing unit 6 is provided coaxially with the power generation container 2 while not including the inflow portion 21. Yes. As in the first embodiment, the internal liquid may be drawn by connecting a discharge pump to the lower part of the discharge unit 22 via the outflow pipe 24.

  The substrate liquid introducing section 6 has a hollow cylindrical rotating shaft 61 whose upper end is exposed from the electrode housing section 20 of the power generation container 2 and is arranged coaxially with the electrode housing section 20, and a power generation container at the lower end of the rotating shaft 61. 2 and a cylindrical stirring unit 62 arranged in the radial direction. A slit 63 for discharging the substrate solution introduced from the upper end opening 64 of the rotating shaft 61 is formed in the rotating shaft 61 along the length direction of the rotating shaft 61 corresponding to the length of the electrode unit 3. .

  A space between the rotating shaft 61 of the substrate liquid introducing portion 6 and the upper lid portion 25 of the electrode housing portion 20 is liquid-tightly sealed by a shaft sealing member such as a gland packing.

  A rotary joint 65 is attached to the upper end opening 64 at the upper end of the substrate liquid introducing section 6, and the inflow pipe 23 is connected to the rotary joint 65, and the substrate liquid is supplied to one end of the inflow pipe 23. A metering pump (not shown) is connected.

  A reduction gear 66 that arbitrarily adjusts the number of rotations of a motor (not shown) that rotates the rotating shaft 61 is provided between the substrate liquid introducing unit 6 and the rotary joint 65.

  The flow of the substrate solution in the power generation vessel 2 during operation of the microbial fuel cell 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. During operation of the microbial fuel cell 1, the rotating shaft 61 of the substrate liquid introducing unit 6 is in a rotated state. When the substrate liquid supplied from the inflow pipe 23 is introduced into the rotating shaft 61, the substrate liquid is discharged from the slit 63 of the rotating rotating shaft 61, and a diffusion flow that is discharged in the circumferential direction of the power generation container 2 is obtained. In addition, since the liquid phase near the lower end of the electrode housing portion 20 is in a state of being stirred by the stirring portion 62 rotated by the rotating shaft 61, sludge does not accumulate on the discharge portion 22 of the power generation container 2. Furthermore, since the inner surface of the discharge part 22 has a tapered shape, the substrate liquid supplied to the electrode unit 3 is discharged from the power generation container 2 without remaining with the precipitate.

  As described above, the microbial fuel cell 1 of the third embodiment does not require the structure corresponding to the inflow portion 21 of the first and second embodiments, and rotates from the axis of the power generation container 2 to the circumferential direction by the rotation of the substrate liquid introduction portion 6. As a result, it is possible to form a diffusion flow that spreads out and prevent precipitation of solid matter in the power generation container 2. Moreover, since the surface of the electrode unit 3 can be expected to be swept away, it is expected that continuous and stable recovery of electric energy will be realized, and the application of microbial fuel cells will be expanded.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and the like are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It goes without saying that it belongs to the technical scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Microbial fuel cell 2 ... Power generation container, 20 ... Electrode accommodating part, 21 ... Inflow part, 22 ... Discharge part, 27 ... Perimeter wall part 3 ... Electrode unit, 31 ... Anode, 32 ... Cathode, 33 ... Ion permeable diaphragm, 34 ... Electrode section, 35 ... Frame, 39 ... Conductor 36 ... Connection pipe, 37 ... Air supply pipe, 38 ... Exhaust pipe 41 ... First connection pipe, 42 ... Second connection pipe, 43 ... Third connection pipe 5 ... Installation Cylindrical part, 50 ... peripheral wall part 6 ... substrate solution introducing part, 61 ... rotating shaft, 62 ... stirring part, 63 ... slit

Claims (9)

A cylindrical power generation container in which a substrate liquid supplied for power production is supplied from the upper end side and the substrate liquid supplied for power production is discharged from the lower end side;
An electrode unit having an electrode portion including an anode housed in the power generation container and provided with the substrate solution, a cathode provided with air, and an ion permeable diaphragm interposed between the anode and the cathode. Bei example,
The electrode unit includes a lead pipe for the electrode part, a supply pipe for supplying air to the cathode, and a connection pipe through which an exhaust pipe for ventilating the atmosphere on the cathode side is inserted .
The microbial fuel cell , wherein the plurality of electrode units are arranged radially from the axis of the power generation container . A cylindrical power generation container in which a substrate liquid supplied for power production is supplied from the upper end side and the substrate liquid supplied for power production is discharged from the lower end side;
An electrode unit having an electrode portion including an anode housed in the power generation container and provided with the substrate solution, a cathode provided with air, and an ion permeable diaphragm interposed between the anode and the cathode. Bei example,
The electrode unit is
A first connecting pipe through which the conductive wire of the electrode portion is inserted;
A second connecting pipe for supplying air to the cathode;
A third connecting pipe for venting the cathode side atmosphere;
With
The microbial fuel cell , wherein the plurality of electrode units are arranged radially from the axis of the power generation container . 2. The microbial fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein a support hole for supporting the electrode unit is formed in the peripheral wall portion of the power generation container through the connection pipe. The peripheral wall of the generator container, according to claim, characterized in that said first connecting tube, a support hole, each of the second connecting tube and the third connection pipe for supporting the electrode unit is inserted is formed 2 A microbial fuel cell according to claim 1. Further comprising a cylindrical mounting tube portion arranged coaxially with the power generation container so as to be removable from the power generation container,
This peripheral wall of the mounting tubular portion, microbial fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting holes for supporting the electrode unit and the connection pipe is inserted is formed. Further comprising a cylindrical mounting tube portion arranged coaxially with the power generation container so as to be removable from the power generation container,
The peripheral wall of the mounting tubular portion, claims, characterized in that said first connecting tube, a support hole, each of the second connecting tube and the third connection pipe for supporting the electrode unit is inserted is formed 2. The microbial fuel cell according to 2. A substrate liquid introduction part for introducing the substrate liquid into the power generation container;
This substrate solution introduction part
A hollow cylindrical rotating shaft that is arranged coaxially with the power generation vessel and introduces the substrate liquid from the upper end;
A stirring portion disposed in the radial direction of the power generation container at the lower end of the rotating shaft,
The microbial fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a slit for discharging the introduced substrate solution is formed in the rotating shaft along a length direction of the rotating shaft. . The microbial fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the inflow portion of the substrate liquid in the power generation vessel has a hollow conical shape. The microbial fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the substrate liquid discharge part of the power generation container has a hollow inverted conical shape.

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