Process for the production of chemicals

Abstract

A process for producing one or more chemical compounds comprising the steps of providing a bioelectrochemical system having an anode and a cathode separated by a membrane, the anode and the cathode being electrically connected to each other, causing oxidation to occur at the anode and causing reduction to occur at the cathode to thereby produce reducing equivalents at the cathode, providing the reducing equivalents to a culture of microorganisms, and providing carbon dioxide to the culture of microorganisms, whereby the microorganisms produce the one or more chemical compounds, and recovering the one or chemical compounds.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a process for producing chemicals. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for producing chemicals using bioelectrochemical systems.BACKGROUND[0002]The global depletion of fossil fuel resources and the increasing awareness of the possible anthropogenic effect on climate change are leading to an increasing drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop a more sustainable society. Besides renewable electricity, such a sustainable society also needs access to renewably produced fuels and chemicals. To be truly renewable these chemicals need to be produced from renewable raw materials such as biomass or from waste products such wastewater and / or carbon dioxide.[0003]Recently, bioelectrochemical systems, such as microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells, have emerged as potentially interesting technology for the production of energy and products. Bioelectrochemical systems are based on...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]The power supply can be used to apply a voltage on the system, which increases chemical production rates. The voltage applied with a power supply between the anode and the cathode may be between 0 and 10 V, preferably between 0 and 1.5 V, more preferably between 0 and 1.0 V. This may result in a volumetric current density in the bioelectrochemical cell of between 0 and 10,000 A / m3 of bioelectrochemical cell, preferably between 10 and 5,000 A / m3 of bioelectrochemical cell, more preferably between 100 and 2500 A / m3 of bioelectrochemical cell and / or an area specific current density of between 0 and 1,000 A / m2 membrane surface area, preferably between 1 and 100 A / m2 membrane surface area, more preferably between 2 and 25 A / m2 membrane surface area.

[0046]In another embodiment, redox mediators can be added to the cathode fluid, allowing transport of electrons from the cathode to the microorganism. Examples of redox mediators are methyl viologen, neutral red, phenazine carboxamide, amido black and others as known to a person skilled in the art. The redox shuttles allow in certain embodiments to increase the ratio NADH / NAD+ inside the microbial cell, which drives the production of reduced molecules.

Problems solved by technology

Typically, these organic pollutants are removed by aerobic treatment, which can consume large amounts of electrical energy for aeration.

It might be possible to develop chemical catalysts for this purpose, but these chemical catalysts are likely to become very complex and highly expensive as they likely necessitate the application of precious metals.

A disadvantage of using a defined culture of cathodophilic microorganisms is that these cultures are susceptible to contamination with other microorganisms.

So unless the activity of these other micro-organisms can be suppressed, these other microorganisms will break down the products produced by the defined culture of cathodophilic microorganisms and consequently limit the product output of the bioelectrochemical system.

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