A forward osmosis microbial fuel cell with reduced membrane fouling and concentration polarization

Abstract

The present invention provides a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell capable of reducing membrane fouling and concentration polarization, comprising: an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, a connecting pipe, and an FO membrane; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are connected through the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are both provided with a water outlet; the FO membrane is arranged in the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are also provided with a water inlet; the water inlet is arranged on the connecting pipe. The present invention can reduce membrane fouling and concentration polarization on the surface of the forward osmosis microbial fuel cell, thereby improving the material transfer efficiency inside the reactor, improving the clean water extraction efficiency, extending the service life of the FO membrane, reducing the cost investment caused by frequent replacement or cleaning of the FO membrane, and improving the overall performance and economic feasibility of the microbial fuel cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of microbial fuel cell design, in particular to a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell capable of reducing membrane pollution and concentration polarization. Background Art

[0002] Forward Osmosis (FO) is a new membrane separation technology driven by the concentration difference between solutions. It does not require external pressure and only relies on the osmotic pressure difference on both sides of the selective permeable membrane as the driving force to achieve the membrane separation process of water molecules in sewage. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an electro-biochemical reactor that uses microorganisms as catalysts to convert the chemical energy generated by the decomposition of organic or inorganic substances into electrical energy. Forward osmosis microbial fuel cell (OsMFC) couples FO with MFC, uses FO membrane instead of the proton exchange membrane in MFC, and uses microorganisms as catalysts to convert the chemical energy of organic matter into electrical energy. The water molecules in the anode chamber are driven by the osmotic pressure difference between the two chambers and diffuse from the high osmotic pressure side (i.e., anode) through the selective permeable membrane to the low osmotic pressure side (i.e., cathode) to extract clean water, thereby realizing a device that integrates water production and power generation. Applying OsMFC to the field of wastewater treatment can directly generate electricity using organic pollutants in wastewater as fuel, while achieving wastewater treatment and clean water extraction. It is a new green water treatment technology with resource utilization prospects.

[0003] At present, forward osmosis microbial fuel cells are still in the research stage, and the stability of their operation is a major obstacle to their practical application. Among them, due to membrane fouling and concentration polarization, the water flux of the FO membrane drops significantly after a period of operation, and the cathode liquid water extraction effect decreases. Therefore, the configuration of the reactor can be modified to reduce the negative effects of these two phenomena.

[0004] The existing forward osmosis microbial fuel cell reactor configurations mainly include square reactors and H-bottle reactors. The interface between the cathode and anode bottles of the H-bottle reactor is separated by a forward osmosis membrane (such as Figure 1 As shown in the figure, however, the interfaces of the two electrode chambers are far away from the water inlet and outlet, the liquid flow rate on the membrane surface is slow and there is even a dead water area, which aggravates the membrane pollution on the anode side and the concentration polarization phenomenon on the cathode side. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0007] A forward osmosis microbial fuel cell capable of reducing membrane fouling and concentration polarization, comprising: an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, a connecting pipe, and a FO membrane;

[0008] The anode chamber and the cathode chamber are connected through the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are both provided with a water outlet; the FO membrane is arranged in the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are also both provided with a water inlet; the water inlet is arranged on the connecting pipe.

[0009] Preferably, the water outlet is arranged above the water inlet.

[0010] Preferably, the water inlets of the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are correspondingly arranged on both sides of the FO membrane.

[0011] According to the specific embodiments provided by the present invention, the present invention discloses the following technical effects:

[0012] The present invention provides a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell capable of reducing membrane fouling and concentration polarization, comprising: an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, a connecting pipe, and an FO membrane; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are connected through the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are both provided with a water outlet; the FO membrane is arranged in the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are also provided with a water inlet; the water inlet is arranged on the connecting pipe. The present invention can reduce membrane fouling and concentration polarization on the surface of the forward osmosis microbial fuel cell, thereby improving the material transfer efficiency inside the reactor, improving the clean water extraction efficiency, extending the service life of the FO membrane, reducing the cost investment caused by frequent replacement or cleaning of the FO membrane, and improving the overall performance and economic feasibility of the microbial fuel cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the configuration of a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell device provided by the prior art;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0017] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell that can reduce membrane fouling and concentration polarization, and can achieve the reduction of membrane fouling and concentration polarization on the surface of the forward osmosis microbial fuel cell, thereby improving the material transfer efficiency inside the reactor, improving the clean water extraction efficiency, and extending the service life of the FO membrane.

[0018] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell device configuration provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a forward osmosis microbial fuel cell that can reduce membrane fouling and concentration polarization, including: an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, a connecting pipe, and a FO membrane; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are connected through the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are both provided with a water outlet; the FO membrane is arranged in the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are also provided with a water inlet; the water inlet is arranged on the connecting pipe. The water outlet is arranged above the water inlet. The water inlets of the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are correspondingly arranged on both sides of the FO membrane.

[0020] The device of the present invention adjusts the configuration of the forward osmosis microbial fuel cell reactor to ensure that the liquid flow rate at the junction of the anode and cathode chambers (i.e., the membrane surface) is increased and the dead water area is eliminated, so that the membrane pollution on the anode side is alleviated to increase the material transfer efficiency and extend the service life of the FO membrane, and the concentration polarization phenomenon on the cathode side is weakened to enhance the water extraction efficiency. The modification of the reactor type is achieved by adjusting the position of the water inlet, which is located near the membrane surface. The hydraulic flushing effect of the inlet water causes cross flow on the membrane surface, thereby reducing membrane pollution and concentration polarization, thereby improving the water production, power generation and wastewater treatment performance of the reactor.

[0021] The present invention can achieve the reduction of membrane pollution and concentration polarization on the surface of the forward osmosis microbial fuel cell by modifying the existing reactor configuration, thereby improving the material transfer efficiency inside the reactor, improving the clean water extraction efficiency, extending the service life of the FO membrane, reducing the cost investment caused by frequent replacement or cleaning of the FO membrane, and improving the overall performance and economic feasibility of the microbial fuel cell.

[0022] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0023] The principles and implementation methods of the present invention are described in this article using specific examples. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A forward osmosis microbial fuel cell capable of reducing membrane fouling and concentration polarization, characterized in that: include: Anode chamber, cathode chamber, connecting pipe, FO membrane; The anode chamber and the cathode chamber are connected through the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are both provided with a water outlet; the FO membrane is arranged in the connecting pipe; the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are also provided with a water inlet; the water inlet is arranged on the connecting pipe; The water outlet is arranged above the water inlet; the water inlets of the anode chamber and the cathode chamber are arranged on both sides of the FO membrane accordingly.

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