Hydrogen Production with a Microbial Biocathode

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• 作者：Ren&#xe9 ; A. Rozendal ; Adriaan W. Jeremiasse ; Hubertus V. M. Hamelers ; Cees J. N. Buisman
• 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：January 15, 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：42
• 期：2
• 页码：629 - 634
• 全文大小：710K
• 年卷期：v.42,no.2(January 15, 2008)
• ISSN：1520-5851

文摘

This paper, for the first time, describes the development of a microbial biocathode for hydrogen production that is based on a naturally selected mixed culture of electrochemically active micro-organisms. This is achieved through a three-phase biocathode startup procedure that effectively turned an acetate- and hydrogen-oxidizing bioanode into a hydrogen-producing biocathode by reversing the polarity of the electrode. The microbial biocathode that was obtained in this way had a current density of about −1.2 A/m² at a potential of −0.7 V. This was 3.6 times higher than that of a control electrode (−0.3 A/m²). Furthermore, the microbial biocathode produced about 0.63 m³ H₂/m³ cathode liquid volume/day at a cathodic hydrogen efficiency of 49% during hydrogen yield tests, whereas the control electrode produced 0.08 m³ H₂/m³ cathode liquid volume/day at a cathodic hydrogen efficiency of 25%. The effluent of the biocathode chamber could be used to inoculate another electrochemical cell that subsequently also developed an identical hydrogen-producing biocathode (−1.1 A/m² at a potential of −0.7 V). Scanning electron micrographs of both microbial biocathodes showed a well-developed biofilm on the electrode surface.