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Application US20190006694
Published 2019-01-03
Microbial Electrochemical Cells And Methods For Producing Electricity And Bioproducts Therein
Bioelectrochemical systems comprising a microbial fuel cell (MFC) or a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) are provided. Either type of system is capable of fermenting insoluble or soluble biomass, with the MFC capable of using a consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) organism to also hydrolyze an insoluble biomass, and an electricigen to produce electricity. In contrast, the MEC relies on electricity input into the system, a fermentative organism and an electricigen to produce fermentative products such as ethanol and 1,3-propanediol from a polyol biomass (e.g., containing glycerol). Related methods are also provided.
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- 1-22. (canceled)
- 23. A method of using a microbial electrolysis cell comprising:
setting a potential in the microbial electrolysis cell between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode; performing a fermentation step comprising fermentation only or fermentation and hydrolysis in the microbial electrolysis cell with one or more mesophilic consolidated bioprocessing organisms to convert biomass located in the microbial electrolysis cell to a bioproduct, wherein the fermentation step also produces one or more fermentation byproducts which contain electrons and protons, wherein the one or more mesophilic consolidated bioprocessing organisms also anaerobically co-ferment six- and five-carbon sugars and comprise one or more cellulomonads, or one or more clostridial strains, not including Clostridium cellulolyticum; and in the presence of the potential, allowing a second organism comprising an electricigen cultured at a temperature not greater than 40° C. to convert substantially all the fermentation byproducts to electricity by first transferring substantially all the electrons present in the one or more fermentation byproducts to the anode electrode to produce a film which catalytically splits the electrons and the protons, wherein the electrons thereafter flow from the anode electrode towards the cathode electrode to produce the electricity, further wherein the electrons and the protons react at the cathode electrode to produce hydrogen gas.
