Redox flow battery coupled with microbial biofuel cell

Abstract

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are systems that use redox species to store and generate electrical energy. A RFB should be safe and environmentally friendly and have a high energy density, long lifetime, small size, light weight, and low cost. However, to date, no RFB has achieved all of these criteria. Vanadium RFBs are currently the most technologically established RFB system, but this type of system is expensive. Alternatively, organic active materials, such as quinone derivatives and flavin compounds, have been attractive because they are inexpensive, non-toxic, and safe and exhibit desirable electrochemical properties. Despite their great advances, RFBs have the potential for further improvement because no RFB has been developed that can meet all of the criteria listed above. Therefore, additional fundamental and applied research is required. In this context, the main objective of this work is to develop an efficient RFB based on organic active compounds, such as quinones, redox mediators, or enzymatic cofactors, for the construction of a miniaturized system coupled with a renewable energy source, such as a microbial BFC, for recharging. Thus, we are proposing an innovative application for the microbial biofuel cell, which is being developed in PhD research project in Brazil. (AU)