MESSAI.iO
Microbial electrochemical systemRepresentative model
Click to animate flow
loading 3D model…

Representative microbial electrochemical system — matched on the paper’s system type only, not its reactor or geometry.

Extraction

Reported parameters

No values extracted from this paper yet.

Open in lab for full controls, parameter editing, and template overlays.

Open in lab →

What they did

System
MES

What worked

No outcome metrics extracted yet.

Abstract

This study presents a series of experiments to test the integration of syngas fermentation into a single-cell microbial electrosynthesis (MES) process. Minimal gas–liquid mass transfer is the primary bottleneck in such gas-fermentation processes. Therefore, we hypothesized that MES integration could trigger the thermodynamic barrier, resulting in higher gas–liquid mass transfer and product-formation rates. The study was performed in three different phases as batch experiments. The first phase dealt with mixed-culture fermentation at 1 bar H2 headspace pressure. During the second phase, surface electrodes were integrated into the fermentation medium, and investigations were performed in open-circuit mode. In the third phase, the electrodes were poised with a voltage, and the second phase was extended in closed-circuit mode. Phase 2 demonstrated three times the gas consumption (1021 mmol) and 63% more production of acetic acid (60 mmol/L) than Phase 1. However, Phase 3 failed; at –0.8 V, acetic acid was oxidized to yield hydrogen gas in the headspace.

Keywords

FermentationSyngasAcetic acidElectrosynthesisMass transferChemical engineering

Identifiers

DOI
10.3390/catal11010040
Journal
Catalysts
Year
2020