Patent · US Active

Biofuel and electricity producing fuel cells and systems and methods related to same

US9716287B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
0References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 17, 2011
Grant dateJul 25, 2017
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 3, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02E50/30
  • WIPO fieldBiotechnology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A fuel cell comprising an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a reference electrode electronically connected to each other; a first biocatalyst comprising a consolidated bioprocessing organism (e.g., a cellulomonad or clostridium or related strains, such as Cellulomonas uda (C. uda), C. lentocellum, A. cellolulyticus, C. cellobioparum, alcohol-tolerant C. cellobioparum, alcohol-tolerant C. uda, Clostridium cellobioparum (C. cellobioparum) and combinations thereof) capable of fermenting biomass (e.g., cellulosic biomass or glycerin-containing biomass) to produce a fermentation byproduct; and a second biocatalyst comprising an electricigen (e.g., Geobacter sulfurreducens) capable of transferring substantially all the electrons in the fermentation byproduct (e.g., hydrogen, one or more organic acids, or a combination thereof) to the anode electrode to produce electricity is disclosed. Systems and methods related thereto are also disclosing a consolidated bioprocessing organism.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.