Co2 electrolysis in a three-compartment electrochemical cell comprising a fermentation medium
OwnerElena Perez Gallent, Earl Lawrence Vincent Goetheer +1inventors
InventorsElena Perez Gallent, Earl Lawrence Vincent Goetheer, Nolan Van Der Willige
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Abstract
The invention is directed to an integrated CO2 reduction and fermentation method and an apparatus therefor, said method comprising reducing carbon dioxide in a three-compartment electrochemical cell to produce obtain a carbon dioxide reduction product; leading a lean fermentation medium that is lean in the carbon dioxide reduction product into the extraction compartment of the electrochemical cell and leading a rich fermentation medium that is rich in the carbon dioxide reduction product out of the extraction compartment; and leading the rich fermentation medium into a fermentation unit.
Claims13
An integrated CO2 reduction and fermentation method, said method comprising:
- reducing carbon dioxide in a cathode compartment of a three-compartment electrochemical cell to produce an anionic carbon dioxide reduction product;
- producing a cationic oxidation product in an anode compartment of the electrochemical cell;
- transporting said carbon dioxide reduction product anions through an anion exchange membrane (AEM) to an extraction compartment of the electrochemical cell and transporting said cationic oxidation product through a cation exchange membrane (CEM) into the extraction compartment to obtain a carbon dioxide reduction product;
- leading a lean fermentation medium into the extraction compartment that is lean in the carbon dioxide reduction product and leading a rich fermentation medium that is rich in the carbon dioxide reduction product out of the extraction compartment;
- leading the rich fermentation medium into a fermentation unit.
Method according to the previous claim, wherein the lean and rich fermentation media comprise carbohydrates, salts and/or metals, preferably dextrose, (NH4)2SO4, KH2PO4 and/or MgSO4.
Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the extraction compartment further comprises a salt, ion-exchange filler and/or polyelectrolyte.
Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the extraction compartment comprises a polyelectrolyte comprising a cation exchange material, an anion exchange material, an amphoteric material and/or a combination thereof.
Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein said electrochemical cell is a three-compartment electrochemical cell comprising a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and/or catalyst-coated membranes.
Method according to any of the previous claims wherein said cathode comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, molybdenum, zirconium, niobium, osmium, gold, silver, titanium, copper, iridium, ruthenium, rhenium, mercury, lead, nickel, cobalt, zinc, cadmium, tin, iron, chromium, manganese, gallium, thallium, indium, antimony, and bismuth, oxides and/or alloys thereof, mixed metal oxides, dimensionally stable electrode (DSA®), stainless steel, austenitic steel, ferritic steel, duplex steel, martensitic steel, and carbon-based graphitic electrode.
Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein said cationic oxidation product comprises a proton.
Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the carbon dioxide reduction product comprises a carboxylic acid, preferably a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of formic acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid, glycolic acid, tartaric acid, malonic acid, propionic acid, glyoxylic acid, salts thereof, and combination thereof, more preferably from the group consisting of formic acid and salts thereof.
Method according to any the previous claims, further comprising separating micro-organisms from a micro-organisms-containing lean fermentation medium to obtain the lean formation medium before leading said lean formation medium into the extraction compartment, preferably wherein said separating comprising filtering, more preferably nanofiltration.
Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein said method is continuous.
An integrated CO2 reduction and formation system (100) for carrying out the method according to any of the previous claims:
- a three-compartment electrochemical cell (10) for electrochemically reducing carbon dioxide into a carbon dioxide reduction product, said electrochemical cell comprising a lean fermentation medium inlet (11) and a rich fermentation medium outlet (12);
- a fermentation unit (20) comprising a rich fermentation medium inlet (21) and a lean fermentation medium outlet (22);
- a first conduit (101) between the rich fermentation medium outlet (12) and the rich fermentation medium inlet (21);
- a second conduit (102) between the first fermentation medium outlet (22) and the lean fermentation medium inlet (11).
The system according to the previous claim, wherein said first conduit comprises a first buffer vessel (30) and/or wherein said second conduit a second buffer (50).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.