1. Efficient Hydrogen Delivery for Microbial Electrosynthesis via 3D-Printed Cathodes
- Author
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Frauke Kracke, Jörg S. Deutzmann, Buddhinie S. Jayathilake, Simon H. Pang, Swetha Chandrasekaran, Sarah E. Baker, and Alfred M. Spormann
- Subjects
microbial electrosynthesis ,gas fermentation ,bioelectrochemical system ,hydrogen mass transfer ,current density ,3D-printing ,Microbiology ,QR1-502 - Abstract
The efficient delivery of electrochemically in situ produced H2 can be a key advantage of microbial electrosynthesis over traditional gas fermentation. However, the technical details of how to supply large amounts of electric current per volume in a biocompatible manner remain unresolved. Here, we explored for the first time the flexibility of complex 3D-printed custom electrodes to fine tune H2 delivery during microbial electrosynthesis. Using a model system for H2-mediated electromethanogenesis comprised of 3D fabricated carbon aerogel cathodes plated with nickel-molybdenum and Methanococcus maripaludis, we showed that novel 3D-printed cathodes facilitated sustained and efficient electromethanogenesis from electricity and CO2 at an unprecedented volumetric production rate of 2.2 LCH4 /Lcatholyte/day and at a coulombic efficiency of 99%. Importantly, our experiments revealed that the efficiency of this process strongly depends on the current density. At identical total current supplied, larger surface area cathodes enabled higher methane production and minimized escape of H2. Specifically, low current density (
- Published
- 2021
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