US 2011 0287504A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0287504 A1 Mets (43) Pub. Date: Nov. 24, 2011 (54) METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING Publication Classification ELECTRICITY INTO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES (51) Int. Cl. CI2P 5/02 (2006.01) (75) Inventor: Laurens Mets, Chicago, IL (US) (52) U.S. Cl. ........................................................ 435/167 (73) Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, Chicago, IL (US) (57) ABSTRACT (21) Appl. No.: 13/204,398 A method of using electricity to produce methane includes maintaining a culture comprising living methanogenic micro (22) Filed: Aug. 5, 2011 organisms at a temperature above 50° C. in a reactor having a first chamber and a second chamber separated by a proton Related U.S. Application Data permeable barrier, the first chamber comprising a passage between an inlet and an outlet containing at least a porous (63) Continuation of application No. 13/049,775, filed on electrically conductive cathode, the culture, and water, and Mar. 16, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of appli the second chamber comprising at least an anode. The method cation No. PCT/US 10/40944, filed on Jul. 2, 2010. also includes coupling electricity to the anode and the cath (60) Provisional application No. 61/222,621, filed on Jul. 2, ode, Supplying carbon dioxide to the culture in the first cham 2009, provisional application No. 61/430,071, filed on ber, and collecting methane from the culture at the outlet of Jan. 5, 2011. the first chamber. Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 1 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 PRIOR ART O2 H2 CHA -CH -D -O 50 52 -CH CO2 FIG. 1 O2 CH4 -CH -D -CH CO2 + H2O FIG. 2 Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 2 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 1 As 100 2 W. & 102 132 CO2 104 $3 SOURCE s XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX 108 s 8XXX8 &:s XXX : XX X X X X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X X 8 8 : x:8 & xx3. 2. 8 120 YA 83. :3 : 83. 8 8. 8. 8 x 8 e : x XxX X X X X: : : : 3. : : : X X & & 8. 106 136 FIG. 3 CO2 SOURCE 30 NK2 222 x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx a 3NY NNN 2 214 232 210 218 220 FIG. 4 Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 3 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 % SNY N NSN% 264 260 26 8 F.G. 5 312 816 332 2. 330 % SNY% 3.3xxx2 xxxxx S N 324 & 314 310 O F.G. 6 Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 5 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 f 22 2 432 42O FIG. 8 404 YA s.S.SS 3.X 3. s N& & 3. & : & s & s & X8: & X8. 8: & & X 3. 23e E. FIG. 9 FIG 10 Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 6 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 FIG. 11 FIG. 12 Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 7 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 \ ÅRHEINI-HERHN\S. TVRHLSOCINI„”»^/NNJ»zgºÍ N N NN //ZN. NY. /N LE/009N909ZZGTONV/H V (ENIGHTQL) Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 8 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 ELECTRICITY 606 SOURCE TRANSMISSION 608 SUBSTATION Ae 604 TRANSMISSION 610 LINES Ae 600 POWER SUBSTATION 620 CARBON LOCAL DISTRIBUTION DOXIDE GRID SOURCE 602 INDUCTION BIOLOGICAL CIRCUIT REACTOR 21 630 POST PROCESSING 640 650 METHANE METHANE COLLECTION STORAGE SUBSYSTEM 652 TRANSPORT SYSTEM 654 656 DISTRIBUTION FIG. 14 CONSUMER SUBSYSTEM Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 9 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 Electrobiological methanogenesis 4. a e Si:SS — Time vs Mass 16 ea. 3 - i.iethanothermobacter her:autotrophicus 359 I s imi in 1.25 cm electrolysis ce: at 60°C | s (' f A 2 3. e t r & i fE SV Ein"i. N rol w" ' .." - M. W. 3. OW: O is f . ya il { ti?sississil alia. 4.38 as: s 5: S: 5:3: 5:45 SO:s ite FIG. 15 Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 10 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 FIG. 17 Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 11 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 e c c s r c w y s e . ea ca R s R s sa s sex Niewerow- a. ity yersy y in & r -- s s es g s s s s s isual tuis Islau Jo Lafic pi Patent Application Publication Nov. 24, 2011 Sheet 12 of 12 US 2011/0287504 A1 sessessessertexxx-xxxx. iris' wa s as s ha ASLR) sufis a lea. It Rip H US 2011/0287504 A1 Nov. 24, 2011 METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING lacking is a method for storing Solar energy in a stable form ELECTRICITY INTO ALTERNATIVE that can be tapped whenever needed. Ideally, such a storage ENERGY RESOURCES form should fit Smoothly into the existing energy infrastruc ture so that it can be quickly deployed once developed. 0007. There is a need in the energy industry for systems to 0001. This application is a continuation of U.S. applica convertone form of energy into another. In particular, there is tion Ser. No. 13/049,775, filed Mar. 16, 2011, which is a a need for systems to convert electricity into a form of energy continuation-in-part of International Application No. PCT/ that can be stored inexpensively on industrial scales. Many US 10/40944, filed on Jul. 2, 2010, which itself claims the Sources of electricity generation cannot be adjusted to match benefit of U.S. Application No. 61/222,621, filed Jul. 2, 2009, changing demand. For example, coal power plants run most and claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 61/430,071, efficiently when maintained at a constant rate and cannot be filed Jan. 5, 2011, all of which are hereby incorporated by adjusted as easily as natural gas (methane) fired powerplants. reference in their entirety in the present application. Likewise, wind turbines generate electricity when the wind is blowing which may not necessarily happen when electricity INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF demand is highest. MATERIAL SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY 0008. There is also a need to convert electricity into a form that can be transported long distances without significant 0002 Incorporated by reference in its entirety is a com losses. Many opportunities for wind farms, geothermal, puter-readable nucleotide?amino acid sequence listing Sub hydroelectric or Solar based power generation facilities are mitted concurrently herewith and identified as follows: One 6 not located close to major population centers, but electric KBACII (Text) file named “45458C SeqListing..txt,” created power losses over hundreds of miles add significant cost to on Aug. 5, 2011. Such distant power facilities. 0009 Methane is one of the most versatile forms of energy BACKGROUND and can be stored easily. There already exists much infrastruc 0003. This patent is directed to the conversion of electrical ture for transporting and distributing methane as well as infra energy into alternative energy resources, such as fuels. In structure for converting methane into electricity and for pow particular, the patent relates to conversion of carbon dioxide ering vehicles. Methane also has the highest energy density into methane and other energy resources using electrical per carbon atom of all fossil fuels, and therefore of all fossil energy, which conversion may also create or generate other fuels, methane releases the least carbon dioxide per unit products or byproducts, such as carbon credits or oxygen, for energy when burned. Hence, systems for converting electric example. ity into methane would be highly useful and valuable in all 0004. The United States annually consumes about 90 energy generation and utilization industries. Exajoules (EJ) of carbon-based fuels, 88% of its total energy 0010. In principle, it would be possible to produce meth consumption in 2008. The use of these fuels is supported by ane from electric power in a two-step process, such as out heavily capitalized processing, distribution and utilization lined schematically in FIG. 1. The first step would use the industries. electric power to make hydrogen gas from water in a standard 0005. The sustainability of these systems is questionable water electrolysis system 50. In a second step, the hydrogen on two counts. First, the US imports 25% of the energy it uses, gas could then be pumped into a methanogenic reaction a proportion that is projected to increase Substantially. chamber 52 Such as a highly specific reactor of methanogenic Imported energy is obtained from Sources that are under microbes. One such reactor is described in U.S. Publication pressure to serve increasing demand from growing econo No 2009/0130734 by Laurens Mets, which is incorporated in mies in other parts of the world. Second, more than 96% of the its entirety herein by reference. carbon-based fuels are obtained from fossil reserves, which are finite. Useful energy is obtained from carbon-based fuels SUMMARY by oxidizing reduced states of carbon to carbon dioxide. For 0011. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a fossil fuels, this process is basically open-loop, producing system to convert electric power into methane includes a CO with no compensating carbon reduction process to close reactor having a first chamber and a second chamber sepa the cycle. The consequent gradual accumulation of atmo rated by a proton permeable barrier. The first chamber spheric CO2 is beginning to cause changes in the global cli includes a passage between an inlet and an outlet containing mate that threaten many aspects of our way of life. Therefore, at least a porous electrically conductive cathode, a culture a process that can close this carbon energy cycle for the total comprising living methanogenic microorganisms, and water.