Supercapacitive bioelectrical systems (SC-BESs) wherein the anode and cathode act as electrodes for a self-powered internal supercapacitor.
| Patent title | Biological and stand-alone super-capacitors for water treatment |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Bioeconomy, Agriculture and Environment |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA, The University of New Mexico |
| Inventors | Francesca Soavi, Catia Arbizzani |
| Protection | USA |
| Licensing status | Available for development agreements, option, license and other exploitation agreements |
| Keywords | Supercapacitive, Self-powered, Anode, Cathode |
| Filed on | 01 May 2015 |
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have been studied by scientists all over the world for their various applications in bioenergy and biomass degradation or recovery. The two most interesting and investigated BESs are Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) and Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs). Both systems incorporate electroactive bacteria as part of at least one electrode, and thus typically work at room temperature and at neutral pH. Moreover, both systems typically utilize biomass as the anodic fuel.
The present disclosure provides a novel bioelectrical system (BES) wherein the anode and cathode act as electrodes for a self-powered internal supercapacitor. The BES may further be enhanced by the use of optimized catalysts and enzymes to increase cell voltage and the use of a third capacitive electrode to improve the power output of the self-powered internal supercapacitor.