SBIR Phase I: Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater Using Bioelectrodes

SBIR一期项目将开发厌氧消化系统，该系统利用生物电极更有效地将废水转化为沼气并最终转化为能源。生物电化学系统近年来受到了极大的关注，因为发现了能够以高速率在电极之间传递电子的电微生物。到目前为止，大多数研究都集中在利用这些过程在类似燃料电池的设备中产生电力或氢气。在这个项目中，完好无损公司将建立并演示一种简化的厌氧消化过程，该过程基于添加电极并直接向AD室施加电压。由此产生的专利系统利用外加电压来调节电极上带电微生物的生长，从而克服了甲烷产生的热力学限制，并实现了pH控制。拟议项目的更广泛/商业影响将是能够从废水处理过程中回收更多的能源。

This SBIR Phase I project will develop an anaerobic digestion system which utilizes bio-electrodes to more efficiently convert wastewater into biogas and ultimately energy. Bio-electrochemical systems have received significant attention in recent years with the discovery of electricigen microbes capable of transferring electrons to and from electrodes at high rates. To date, most research has focused on using these processes in fuel-cell-like devices to produce electricity or hydrogen. In this project, IntAct will build and demonstrate a simplified process for enhanced anaerobic digestion based on adding electrodes and applying voltage directly into an AD chamber. The resulting proprietary system makes use of an applied voltage to modulate the growth of electricigen microbes on electrodes thus overcoming thermodynamic limitations to methane production and enabling pH control.The broader/commercial impact of the proposed project will be the ability to recover increased amounts of energy from the wastewater treatment process.