Biological fuel cells with sulphide storage capacity

Abstract

Using bacteria that tolerate fairly high sodium sulphate concentrations and reduce sulphate and a coarse clay with buffering properties as solid electrolytes, biological fuel cells have been developed for providing electrical energy discontinuously. The biological active anodes, which accumulate fuel, contained a metal hydroxide catalyst that was converted during the biological process into a metal sulphide catalyst and functioned in a solidified aqueous electrolyte that contained sodium sulphate. The active carbon or titanium cathodes employed were activated with cobalt oxide spinels, molybdenum/vanadium compounds or metal chelates. When employed in continuous service for discontinuous energy consumption, fuel cells were capable of being operated with humus constituents or sugar waste as fuel over a period of 5 years without malfunction and maintenance. Positive results were achieved in the purification of waste-water with a modified type of fuel cell in which the production of energy was not dominant.