KR100657868B1 - Biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediment sludge - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a biological fuel cell which is reduced in cost by not supplying oxygen additionally, purifies the organic material present in the precipitate of a lake and is improved in the efficiency of fuel cell. The biological fuel cell comprises a negative electrode which is located at the precipitate inside the polluted lake; and a positive electrode which is located at the water surface containing seaweeds and photosynthetic microorganism, wherein the organic material remaining in the precipitate is oxidized by the microorganism to generate electrons in anaerobic state and to transfer the electrons through an oxidation electrode, and the electron is transferred into the reduction electrode where the concentration of dissolved oxygen is maintained to be oversaturated on the water surface and is combined with oxygen to be reduced into water, there generating electricity.

Description

Biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediment sludge

1A is a view showing the structure of a biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediment according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1b is a graph showing the results of the change in power production for two months according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

1C is a graph showing the results of changes in power output during a week according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2a is a view showing the structure of a biofuel cell for hydrogen production and collection according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a diagram showing the concentration of oxygen produced by the photosynthesis action according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2c is a view showing the concentration of hydrogen ions generated when the microorganism is oxidized organic material according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

 3 is a view showing jabara for height adjustment according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

4 shows a medium free microbial fuel cell without a cation exchange membrane according to the prior art and the overall system for operating it and recording current.

The present invention relates to a biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments, and more particularly, to place an anode and a cathode on a water surface such as a contaminated lake where microorganisms are distributed without a cation exchange membrane. The present invention relates to a biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments having a purification function by smoothly supplying oxygen to the anode part using algae and oxidizing organic matter present in the precipitate.

In addition, by keeping the inside of the contaminated appeal in an anaerobic state using a transparent container through which air is not permeated, hydrogen gas is released by algae and photosynthetic microorganisms by using light that is supplied during the day and light is blocked at night. It relates to a biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments that can produce and collect

Conventionally, in relation to a biofuel cell, a number of applications and registrations have been made in addition to the Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-0224381, a mediator-free microbial fuel cell without a cation exchange membrane (hereinafter referred to as "prior patent").

As shown in FIG. 4, the prior patent discloses an anode portion and a cathode portion, glass wool and glass beads disposed between the anode portion and the cathode portion, and air in the anode portion. It comprises a device for supplying and the waste water is supplied from the cathode portion is discharged from the anode portion, characterized in that there is no cation exchange membrane.

However, although the prior patent has a feature regarding the absence of a cation exchange membrane, there is a problem in that a device for supplying glass wool, glass beads, and air is provided between the anode portion and the cathode portion.

In addition, by increasing the oxygen in the water by using a device for supplying air, there is a difficulty in producing or actually using a large-scale, requiring extra energy to produce electrical energy.

The present invention, which was devised to solve the above problems, by placing the cathode on the anode and the precipitate on the surface of the water, such as a contaminated lake (microbial) distribution without a cation exchange membrane, the cathode and the algae (algae) The purpose of the present invention is to facilitate oxygen supply to the anode portion by using an anaerobic state generated due to the overproduction of oxygen and the restriction of light transmission, and to purify the organic matter present in the precipitate by oxidizing microorganisms.

In addition, by keeping the inside of the contaminated appeal in an anaerobic state using a transparent container through which air is not permeated, hydrogen gas is released by algae and photosynthetic microorganisms by using light that is supplied during the day and light is blocked at night. Can be produced and collected for this purpose.

The present invention for achieving the above object, in the biofuel cell comprising a cathode located on the sediment inside the contaminated appeal and the anode located on the water surface in which algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present, the organic matter remaining in the precipitate microorganisms The oxidized electrons generated in the anaerobic state are transferred through the anode, and when the electrons are delivered to the cathode which maintains the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the photosynthetic microorganisms on the surface of the day, the oxygen is combined with the oxygen and reduced to water. It is characterized by generating a current.

Preferably, the biofuel cell is characterized in that it can be used directly installed in the ocean, river, lake and wastewater treatment plant.

Also preferably, the anode is characterized in that the electrode is a porous carbon plate while maintaining a long shape in the longitudinal direction.

And preferably, the cathode is characterized in that the electrode is a porous carbon plate, one end of which maintains the tip shape in the longitudinal direction.

On the other hand, the present invention is a biofuel cell comprising a cathode located on the sediment inside the contaminated appeal and the anode located on the water surface in which algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present, the transparent container which does not permeate air is located on the anode above the anode After inserting the sediment to, characterized in that the hydrogen gas is produced by maintaining the anaerobic state.

Preferably, the upper side of the transparent container, further comprising a gas transfer pipe, the gas transfer pipe is characterized in that to discharge the hydrogen gas during the day to adjust the atmospheric pressure of the water surface using a valve and to collect the hydrogen gas produced at night.

On the other hand, in the biofuel cell comprising a cathode located on the sediment inside the contaminated appeal and a cathode located on the water surface in which algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present, a water level control channel is provided at one side, and is connected between the anode part and the cathode part. Includes height adjustable jabara.

Preferably, the height adjustment jar is characterized in that the level of the water surface is kept constant by adjusting the length of the leg through the water level adjusting channel.

And preferably the height adjustment jabara, characterized in that made in a smooth shape shrinkage and relaxation action in a foldable manner.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims are defined in the technical spirit of the present invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his invention in the best way. It should be interpreted to mean meanings and concepts. In addition, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known function and its configuration related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, it should be noted that the detailed description is omitted.

First, since the abnormal growth of algae, which occurs on the surface of the lake due to eutrophication, prevents the growth of submerged aquatic vegetables that impede the transmission of sunlight, the hydrogen ion appeal serves to supply oxygen in the water. The aquatic vegetation dies and the interior of the appeal becomes hypoxic or anaerobic. On the other hand, during daytime with sufficient daylight, limited to the surface of algae and photosynthetic microorganisms, oxygen is supersaturated due to algae photosynthesis, and at night, photosynthesis ceases due to lack of daylight. The city becomes hypoxic or anaerobic.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

The structure and characteristics of the biofuel cell using the photosynthetic microorganism and the precipitate according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1C.

1A is a view showing the structure of a biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediment according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1b is a result of the change in power production for two months according to the first embodiment of the present invention 1C is a graph showing a result of a change in power output for one week according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 1A, a biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a negative electrode position of a fuel cell using a conventional sediment in an appeal (A) where algae are present. Similarly, the anode portion is placed on the surface of the cathode and the water surface in which algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present in the precipitate inside the appeal (A).

More specifically, a cathode is placed on the water surface of a 20 cm depth A and an anode is positioned 20 cm below the surface of the precipitate.

In this case, a carbon electrode is used as the electrode, and silver epoxy is used after the wire connection is applied by applying a waterproof epoxy.

In addition, the cathode uses a porous carbon plate to increase the surface area and maintain a lengthwise shape so that it can easily enter the water without disturbing the light supply, and the anode also increases the surface area on the electrode and deposits. Porous carbon plates are used, one end of which keeps its tip shape in the longitudinal direction so as to be easily inserted into the sheet.

In the biofuel cell according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the positive electrode and the negative electrode can be used without particular limitation as long as they are electrodes used in conventional biofuel cells, and examples thereof include graphite bars, graphite plates, or surface areas. Graphite electrodes such as graphite non-woven fabrics, and the like, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the surface area of the electrodes is proportional to the density of electrons (amount of current), a graphite non-woven fabric or a porous carbon plate having a large surface area may be used. It is also possible to configure a biofuel cell that can increase productivity.

Here, when a large amount of algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present on the surface of the appeal (A), it prevents light transmission and prevents photosynthetic action from occurring smoothly inside the appeal (A), causing an anaerobic condition. The internal anaerobic state cuts off the oxygen supply to the cathode portion of the fuel cell, thereby preventing the loss of electrons and increasing the fuel cell efficiency.

In addition, unlike the inside of the appeal (A), the surface of the day water supplied with light actively absorbs a large amount of light, causing photosynthetic action of algae to actively occur, thereby maintaining the dissolved oxygen concentration in a supersaturated state.

For reference, the general concentration of dissolved oxygen is 8 ppm, and the concentration at the time of supersaturation is 12-15 ppm.

Accordingly, by dissolving oxygen at a saturation concentration or higher on the water surface on which the anode is installed, the reduction of electrons transferred to the anode can be smoothly made, thereby increasing the efficiency of the fuel cell.

This does not require additional equipment, additional costs, and additional energy consumption because oxygen does not need to be additionally supplied to the anode using aeration to produce electrical energy.

In addition, the bodies and metabolites of photosynthetic microorganisms, which are autotrophic organisms on the surface of the water, supply organic matter to the sediment, enabling long-term power generation without supplying external organic matter, and having a purifying function by oxidizing the organic matter present in the sediment. .

In addition, since the present invention does not need to be provided with additional equipment, the present invention may be directly installed in the sea, a lake, or a river, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be used in a wastewater treatment plant.

1B and 1C, two months (July 1 to August 30) and one week (August 15 to August) by installing a biofuel cell of the above-described structure directly on the contaminated appeal When the power output is measured continuously during the day (12 o'clock) or at night (24 o'clock) for 21 days), photosynthetic action is actively induced by photosynthetic microorganisms during the day when a large amount of light is supplied, resulting in an increase in power output. It can be seen that during the night when this supply is not performed, the anaerobic state is reduced, thereby reducing the power output.

Here, August 10, August 24, and August 25 of the experimental days, because the light is not supplied even during the day due to weather fluctuations, the photosynthetic reaction did not occur actively, the power production was found to decrease.

In the present embodiment, when the water level of the water surface is changed according to the weather fluctuation, it is set to adjust the height so that the algae and the anode portion located on the water surface to maintain a constant water level by using the water level adjustment channel, but the present invention is It is not limited.

The structure and features of the biofuel cell for producing and capturing hydrogen according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2A.

Figure 2a is a view showing the structure of a biofuel cell for hydrogen production and collection according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the appeal A in which algae exist as shown in FIG. 2A, a transparent container through which air is not permeated into the structure of the biofuel cell described above is inserted from the upper part of the anode to the precipitate in which the negative electrode is positioned. By connecting the pipelines, the gas produced during the night is captured using the power produced through photosynthesis during the day.

In this case, the collected gas is set to be detected by setting the conditions of the thermal conductivity detector (TCD) and Nitrogen Carrier Gas using gas chromatography, the present invention is set to this It is not limited.

In other words, the hydrogen-producing bacteria absorb a large amount of light during the day when the photosynthetic bacteria are supplied with light, accumulate nutrients (carbohydrates) using oxygen generated by the photosynthetic action, and then become oxygen at night when no light is supplied. When all are consumed and become anaerobic, algae and microorganisms produce hydrogen gas by activation of hydrogenase, and algae produce large amounts of hydrogen gas until light is supplied and oxygen is produced by photosynthesis.

In other words, if a transparent container sealed in the biofuel cell is provided on the upper side, the algae which have been mass-proliferated receive light during the day to produce oxygen through photosynthesis to efficiently produce electricity, and at night, the water surface and the upper surface of the water surface Oxygen is consumed by the microorganisms through the breath to become anoxic in the absence of light, that is, anaerobic, and produce a small amount of gas through a cancer reaction. In the daytime, the algae receive light after a dark reaction, producing a large amount of gas for a period of time before producing oxygen.

In addition, the gas transfer pipe connected to the upper side is set to control the air pressure of the water surface by using a valve when gas is discharged during the day and to collect hydrogen gas produced at night, but it can also produce and collect gas such as methane. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

At this time, the microorganism producing gas through anaerobic fermentation is set to belong to Clostridium sp. And Enterobacteria sp., But the present invention is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, the overall flow of the method for producing and collecting hydrogen through the apparatus having the above-described configuration and characteristic functions will be described with reference to FIGS. 2B and 2C.

Figure 2b is a view showing the concentration of oxygen generated by photosynthesis according to a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2c is a view of the hydrogen ions generated when the microorganism oxidized the organic material according to the second embodiment of the present invention It is a figure which shows concentration.

First, photosynthetic bacteria absorb large amounts of light during the day when light is supplied, producing oxygen through photosynthesis.

As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, when supersaturated oxygen is present on the water surface after accumulating carbohydrates using the produced oxygen, photosynthesis may not be performed under the water surface at night when no light is supplied. When anaerobic is maintained, algae and microorganisms produce small amounts of hydrogen gas due to the activation of hydrogenases.

Next, when the light is supplied again during the day, algae temporarily produce a large amount of hydrogen gas until the photosynthesis action by the photosynthetic microorganism occurs and collects the hydrogen gas through the gas transfer pipe.

The structure and characteristics of the biofuel cell using the photosynthetic microorganism and the precipitate according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a view showing jabara for height adjustment according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 3, when the water level of the water surface fluctuates due to meteorological fluctuations, by adjusting the length of the height adjustment jabara connected between the anode and the cathode so that the algae and the anode is not submerged in the appeal (A) Ensure that algae and anodes are at a constant level.

In the present embodiment, jabara (바) for height adjustment is set to a jabara shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and includes all shapes that are smooth in shrinkage and relaxation action in a foldable manner, separately on one side of height adjustment jabara It is provided with a water level adjusting channel.

That is, by maintaining a constant level of the algae and the anode portion by using a water level adjusting channel, it is possible to smoothly circulate the air present in the headspace portion of the upper portion of the anode portion to continuously supply oxygen to produce a current and hydrogen gas smoothly. It is possible to prevent the outflow of the hydrogen ions and oxygen ions present on the inside of the height adjustment jabara to the outside, the present invention is not limited thereto.

At this time, if the height of the water is increased by the water level adjusting channel, the length of the jabara connected between the anode part and the cathode part is extended to the upper side by the air pressure present in the headspace. When the additional water rises above the water surface and the water level is lowered, the length of the jabara connected between the positive and negative parts is shortened to the lower side by the pressure of air present in the headspace. Descend to.

That is, according to the level of the water fluctuating channel for adjusting the water level, the leg length of the jabara for height adjustment is adjusted up and down to maintain a constant water surface level.

For reference, the water surface in contact with air in the headspace has the highest oxygen saturation.

As described above, the biofuel cell using the photosynthetic microorganism and the precipitate according to the present invention includes placing a cathode on the anode and the precipitate on the surface of water such as a contaminated appeal (A) where the microorganism is distributed without a cation exchange membrane, and the algae. (Algae) using the oxygen supply to the anode portion smoothly does not provide additional oxygen supply cost reduction effect, there is a characteristic advantage that the microorganism oxidizes the organic matter present in the precipitate has a purification function.

In other words, the present invention has a feature that can produce a large amount of hydrogen gas by forming an anaerobic condition suitable for hydrogen gas production by providing a transparent container through which air does not permeate the biofuel cell.

As described above and described with reference to a preferred embodiment for illustrating the technical idea of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the configuration and operation as shown and described as described above, it is a deviation from the scope of the technical idea It will be understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations can be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, all such suitable changes and modifications and equivalents should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention as described above, by directly installing in the lake where the algae are present, the surface of the lake water is dissolved in the concentration of dissolved oxygen when the amount of insolation is high, thereby smoothly reducing the electrons transferred to the anode fuel cell It can make the efficiency of the high, and because it does not need to supply additional oxygen can reduce the cost, there is an effect that the microorganism oxidizes the organic matter present in the precipitate to have a purification function.

In addition, the present invention by providing a transparent container through which air does not permeate the biofuel cell, it is possible to produce a large amount of hydrogen gas by forming the anaerobic conditions suitable for hydrogen gas production, the anode portion and the cathode as the water level of the appeal changes By controlling the length of the height-adjusting jabara connecting the part to the water level control channel to maintain a constant headspace, the air is smoothly circulated to continuously supply oxygen, thereby increasing the current and the production of hydrogen gas.

Claims (9)

In the biofuel cell comprising a cathode located on the sediment inside the contaminated appeal and a cathode located on the water surface in which algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present, When microorganisms oxidize the organic matter remaining in the precipitate and electrons generated in the anaerobic state are transferred through the anode, and the electrons are transferred to the cathode which maintains the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the photosynthetic microorganisms on the day's water surface. A biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments, characterized in that to generate an electric current while being combined with the oxygen to reduce the water. The method of claim 1, The biofuel cell, Biofuel cells using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments, characterized in that can be installed directly in the ocean, river, lake and wastewater treatment plant. The method of claim 1, The anode, Biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and precipitates, characterized in that the electrode is a porous carbon plate to maintain a long shape in the longitudinal direction. The method of claim 1, The negative electrode, A biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and precipitates, characterized in that the electrode is a porous carbon plate, one end of which is vertical in shape. In the biofuel cell comprising a cathode located on the sediment inside the contaminated appeal and a cathode located on the water surface in which algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present, A biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments, wherein a transparent vessel through which air does not permeate is inserted from the upper part of the anode to the sediment in which the negative electrode is positioned, and then hydrogen gas is produced by maintaining an anaerobic state. The method of claim 5, Above the transparent container, Further comprising a gas transport pipe, the gas transport pipe discharges hydrogen gas during the day to control the atmospheric pressure of the water by using a valve and captures the hydrogen gas produced at night, biofuels using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediment battery. In the biofuel cell comprising a cathode located on the sediment inside the contaminated appeal and a cathode located on the water surface in which algae and photosynthetic microorganisms are present, A biofuel cell using a photosynthetic microorganism and a sediment having a water level control channel on one side and a height adjusting jabara connected between the anode part and the cathode part. The method of claim 7, wherein The height adjustment jar, A biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments, characterized in that to maintain a constant level of water surface by adjusting the length of the bridge through the water level control channel. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The height adjustment jabara, Biofuel cell using photosynthetic microorganisms and sediments characterized in that the folding and contracting action is made in a smooth shape.

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