This thesis is concerned with the simulation of various electrochemical experiments and its application to electroanalysis. Chapter 1 outlines the fundamental principles of electrochemistry which are of importance for the reading of this thesis. Chapter 2 then outlines the methods used in the numerical simulation of electrochemical experiments. Chapters 3 and 4 are concerned with the electrochemistry of nanoparticles, and how this is affected by the presence of near wall hindered diffusion. In Chapter 3, a computational model to simulate anodic particle coulometry of nanoparticles in the presence of hindered diffusion is developed, and the effect of this hindered diffusion investigated. The model is then applied to simulate experimental data. Chapter 4 looks at the effect of hindered diffusion on the adsorption of nanoparticles on electrode surfaces, and investigates the effects of this adsorption on electrochemical experiments with nanoparticles generally. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 are concerned with band electrodes in isolation, in a pair and in an array respectively. In Chapter 5, a model to simulate double potential step chronoamperometry at an individual band electrode is developed, and used to successfully simulate experimental data. Chapter 6 looks at dual band electrodes used in generator-collector mode, and how this can be used to simultaneously measure the concentration of two species in solution. Chapter 7 looks at interdigitated arrays of band and ring electrodes in generator-collector mode, and develops a model to simulate cyclic voltammetry in both cases, as well as investigating under what conditions interdigitated ring arrays may be modelled as interdigitated band arrays. Chapter 8 develops a model to simulate chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry at porous electrodes, and investigates the consequences for electroanalysis of having a porous layer. Finally, Chapter 9 investigates the Marcus-Hush theory of electron transfer kinetics, and looks at the effect of the kinetically limited currents resulting from this theory to the equivalence relation between microdisc electrodes and sphere-on-a-surface electrodes.

Ce travail concerne la mise au point d’une cellule électrochimique de technologie PEM pour l’appauvrissement en oxygène d’un flux d’air. L’idée de départ consiste à répondre aux problématiques des photo-bioréacteurs en ce qui concerne le contrôle de la quantité d’oxygène nécessaire pour la croissance des micro-organismes. Deux axes principaux sont indispensables pour notre étude. Au début, nous avons étudié l’aspect technologique vu que la cellule électrochimique à concevoir n’est que le fruit de la combinaison d’une demi-pile à combustible au niveau de la cathode (réduction de l’oxygène) avec un demi-électrolyseur de l’eau à l’anode. De ce fait, le choix des matériaux des différents constituants de cette cellule passe par l’étude des systèmes pile à combustible et électrolyseurs de même type PEM. Cette étude nous a permis ensuite de concevoir notre cellule et de la valider expérimentalement. En parallèle, la cellule électrochimique, sujet de cette étude, est conçue pour fonctionner principalement en tant que cellule d’appauvrissement en oxygène de l’air. La réaction électrochimique clé qui contrôle ce mode de fonctionnement est la RRO. Néanmoins, l’étude cinétique de cette réaction passe par l’étude de deux autres réactions se passant lorsque notre cellule fonctionne en mode électrolyseur de l’eau. Ce dernier mode de fonctionnement a été pris en compte lors de notre conception du banc d’essai. En électrolyse, un dégagement d’hydrogène s’effectue à la cathode et un dégagement d’oxygène à l’anode aura lieu. Le relevé des paramètres des deux réactions a été utile pour déterminer les paramètres cinétiques de la réaction principale; réaction de réduction de l’O2 à la cathode / This work concerns the conception of a PEM electrochemical cell for oxygen depletion from an air flow. The starting idea consists in finding solution for the problem of photo-bioreactors regarding the control of the oxygen amount necessary for the growth of microorganisms. Two main areas are essential for our study. At first, we studied the technological aspect since the electrochemical cell design is the result of a combination of a half-fuel cell at the cathode compartment (reduction of oxygen) with a half-water electrolyzer at the anode. Therefore, the choice of materials for the different constituents of the cell passes through the study of PEM fuel cell systems and electrolyzers as well. This study allowed us to design and experimentally validate our cell. In parallel, the electrochemical cell, subject of this study, is designed to function primarily as cell of oxygen depletion. The reaction key which control mode is the ORR. However, the kinetic study of this reaction involves the study of two other reactions when our cell operates in the water electrolyser mode. The latter mode has been taken into account in our design of the test bench. In electrolysis, hydrogen evolution takes place at the cathode and oxygen evolution at the anode will occur. The survey of the kinetic parameters of these two reactions was useful for determining the kinetic parameters of the main reaction; reduction reaction of O2 at the cathode

Orientadores: Christiane de Arruda Rodrigues, Rodnei Bertazzoli / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T16:59:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Moraes_JulianaPiresde_M.pdf: 2352216 bytes, checksum: 36449200a80f1740bb7e26db1412d9de (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Na indústria de cloro-soda, há um crescente interesse no desenvolvimento de tecnologias que resultem numa redução do consumo de energia destinado ao processo de produção de cloro. As células eletroquímicas empregadas no processo cloro-soda são: Mercúrio, Diafragma e Membrana. Atualmente está havendo uma substituição progressiva dos processos empregando mercúrio e difragma por células com membranas trocadoras de íons, pois este processo apresenta melhor eficiência, menor gasto energético e a não geração de resíduos tóxicos. O objetivo deste trabalho envolve a aplicação de eletrodos de difusão gasosa (EDG) modificado com catalisador ferro para a redução do oxigênio, visando à otimização da produção de cloro e maior economia energética nos processos de cloro-soda. Na produção do EDG empregou-se a adição de catalisador ferro nas seguintes proporções: 5%, 10%, 15% e 20% (m/m) em relação à massa de carbono Printex 6L. Duas granulometrias de partículas do catalisador Fe foram empregadas para o preparo dos eletrodos. Ensaios voltamétricos foram realizados para avaliar o efeito da introdução do catalisador de Fe no EDG na reação de redução do oxigênio, além de identificar qual a melhor concentração de Fe e granulometria do catalisador. Os ensaios de voltametria foram realizados em uma célula de compartimento único na temperatura de 25 ºC e solução de trabalho NaOH 320 g/L. Em seguida, ensaios de eletrólises foram realizados para avaliar o desempenho dos EDG, modificado ou não com catalisador Fe, na geração de cloro e DDP da célula, empregando as melhores condições de operação encontradas nos estudos voltamétricos. Os ensaios de eletrólise foram realizados em uma célula com dois compartimentos, separados por uma membrana catiônica Náfion® N242. Nos ensaios de eletrólise foi utilizada uma solução de NaOH 320 g/L, com temperatura de 25 ºC, no compartimento catódico e no compartimento anódico, uma solução de NaCl 250 g/L com temperatura de 70 ºC. A condição de trabalho que apresentou maior redução do consumo de energia e maior geração de cloro foi empregando o EDG com 10% Fe com tamanho de partículas em torno de 0,16 mm2. Comparado ao EDG sem catalisador, verificou-se uma redução no gasto energético de aproximadamente 66%. Isto comprova que o metal de transição Fe atua como o centro ativo e que a atividade eletrocatalítica depende principalmente das propriedades redox do eletrodo modificado / Abstract: The interesting in the developing of technologies that contribute in a reduction of energy consumption in chlor-alkali process is growing. The electrochemical cells used in production of chlorine area: Mercury, Diaphragm and membrane. Currently, the mercury and diaphragm cell have been replaced for membrane technology because this cell is more efficient, presents low energy consumption and does not generate toxic waste. The main of this work involves the investigation the performance of gaseous diffusion electrodes modified with particles of iron, for reduction of oxygen in the production of chorine during the electrolysis of brine. In preparing the cathodes of diffusion of oxygen, was used a mass precursor, composed of carbonaceous pigment Printex and suspension of the PTFE powder. The catalyst was introduced in form of Fe metal power in the following percentages: 5%, 10%, 15% e 20% (m/m). For sintering of the electrode of gaseous diffusion (GDE) was weighed 0.2 g of mass precursor and placed on the mold. The mold was heated to a temperature of 340ºC for the sintering of the electrode, under pressure of 146 Kgf/cm2 for 2 hours. After sintering, the electrodes were tested for permeability. In next stage, the electrodes of gaseous diffusion were used in voltammetric studies to examine the influence of catalyst in the reactions of reduction of oxygen in the GDE and identify the best grain size and percentage of iron in electrode. Then, the tests were performed using a single cell compartment, with the type DSA® as counter electrode and the Ag/AgCl as reference electrode in 320 g/L NaOH solution at 25ºC. After, the electrolysis were performed using constant current electrolysis to the GDE or pyrolytic graphite as cathode and DSA® as anode. These tests were carried out in a cell with two compartments, separated by a membrane cationic Nafion N242. The anolyte was a solution of 250 g/L NaCl at 70 ºC and the catholyte was a solution of 320 g/L NaOH, at 25 ºC. During the electrolysis the chorine dissolved in the form of hypochlorite and chlorine gas were quantified by iodometry titration. The electrode that had a better performance in chlorine generation and lower energy consumption was modified with Fe 10% (m/m) with small particle size. This electrode shown around 66% reduction of energy consumption when compared to GDE without iron metal catalyst. This behavior proves that the transition metal Fe acting as the active center and that the electrocatalytic activity depends mainly on the redox properties of the modified electrode / Mestrado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Global increases in water demand and decreases in both the quantity and quality of fresh water resources have served as the major driving forces to develop sustainable use of water resources. One viable alternative is to explore non-traditional (impaired quality) water sources such as wastewater and seawater. The current paradigm for wastewater treatment is based on technologies that are energy intensive and fail to recover the potential resources (water and energy) in wastewater. Also, conventional desalination technologies like reverse osmosis (RO) are energy intensive. Therefore, there is a need for the development of sustainable wastewater treatment and desalination technologies for practical applications. Processes based on microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) and microbial desalination cells (MDCs) hold promise for the treatment of wastewater with recovery of the inherent energy, and MDCs could be used for both desalination of seawater and energy recovery. METs use anaerobic bacteria, referred to as exoelectrogens, that are capable of transferring electrons exogenously to convert soluble organic matter present in the wastewater directly into an electrical current to produce electrical power (MFC and MDC) or biogas (MEC). In my dissertation, I investigated the three types of METs mentioned above to: 1) have a better insight on the effect of 4 oxygen intrusion on the microbial community structure and performance of air-cathode MFCs; 2) improve the desalination efficiency of air-cathode MDCs using ion exchange resins (IXRs); and 3) enrich for extremophilic exoelectrogens from the Red Sea brine pool using MECs. The findings from these studies can shape further research aimed at developing more efficient air-cathode MFCs for practical applications, a more efficient integrated IXRMDC configuration that can be used as a pre-treatment to RO, and exploring extreme environments as a source of extremophilic exoelectrogens for niche-specific applications of METs.

The Master’s thesis reviews the topic of hydrogen in within European and Czech energy industry. Hydrogen’s usage in gas industry, heating industry and power engineering may play a significant role in meeting European Union’s ambitious goals aiming to reduce emission production. This work identifies specifications of technologies used to produce, transport, and use of hydrogen and their impact on today’s energy systems and safety. The technical, economic, and political context is emphasized. The technical part covers the topic of injecting hydrogen into natural gas and it’s impact on physico-chemical properties of gas. The work analyses concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 molar percent of hydrogen in real composition of natural gas measured on a handover point of transition system. Furthermore, calculations for these mixtures have been done to determine a change in characteristics of a heat exchanger. The results show, that with higher concentrations of hydrogen, the power of heat exchanger rises, while the power of a burner decreases due to lower calorific value of gas mixture. The last chapter follows up on a economical analysis of fuel and emission allowance costs for above-mentioned concentrations of hydrogen in gas mixture. Specific values of combined cycle gas plant Počerady from year 2019 were used for calculations. The results show, that in all of the three considered scenarios of emission allowance price predictions, replacing hydrogen with natural gas did not have a positive economic impact.

Increasing demand for freshwater and energy is pushing towards the development of alternative technologies that are sustainable. One of the realistic solutions to address this is utilization of the renewable resources like wastewater. Conventional wastewater treatment processes can be highly energy demanding and can fails to recover the full potential of useful resources such as energy in the wastewater. As a consequence, there is an urgent necessity for sustainable wastewater treatment technologies that could harness such resources present in wastewaters. Advanced treatment process based on microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have a great potential for the resources recovery through a sustainable wastewater treatment process. METs rely on the abilities of microorganisms that are capable of transferring electrons extracellularly by oxidizing the organic matter in the wastewater and producing electrical current for electricity generation (MFC) or H2 and CH4 production (MEC). Propionate is an important volatile fatty acid (VFA) (24-70%) in some wastewaters and accumulation of this VFA can cause a process failure in a conventional anaerobic digestion (AD) system. To address this issue, MECs were explored as a novel, alternative wastewater treatment technology, with a focus on a better understanding of propionate oxidation in the anode of MECs. Having such knowledge could help in the development of more robust and efficient wastewater treatment systems to recover energy and produce high quality effluents. Several studies were conducted to: 1) determine the paths of electron flow in the anode of propionate fed MECs low (4.5 mM) and high (36 mM) propionate concentrations; 2) examine the effect of different set anode potentials on the electrochemical performance, propionate degradation, electron fluxes, and microbial community structure in MECs fed propionate; and 3) examine the temporal dynamics of microbial communities in MECs fed with low or high concentration of acetate or propionate relating to the reactor performance. Overall, the findings from these studies provides new knowledge on propionate oxidation in MECs. The discovery of such findings may shed light on the development of an energy positive wastewater treatment process capable of producing a high quality effluent.

Thesis deals with study of separators and membranes, suitable for using in alkali electrochemical applications like fuel cells or electrolysis. As basic material for membranes production is used polyvinylalkohol (PVA). Various methods of PVA cross linking are introduced in the thesis. PVA membranes are also doped by various types of additives to improve the attributes of the membranes like mechanical stability and or conductivity. The aim of the work is verification of parameters of membranes, doped by alkali hydroxides KOH, NaOH and LiOH at various temperatures. These hydroxides are added to the membrane especially for increasing of membrane conductivity.

This master’s thesis deals with Power to Gas technology. In this concept electrical energy is used for hydrogen production via electrolysis. Hydrogen can be injected in limited amount into natural gas grid, used for power generation via fuel cells or as a reactant for methanation process. Characteristics of hydrogen and ways of hydrogen production, storage and transport are described. Fuel cells are described as a device which uses hydrogen for power production. Crucial part of this thesis consists of a description of Power to Gas concept and a design of Power to Gas unit with electrical power of 9,5 kW. Three different units were designed for three different times of day operation. Efficiency and economical assessment was carried out for these three Power to Gas units.

La production d’hydrogène par électrolyse de l’eau PEM prendra une place importante dans le paysage énergétique pour le stockage des EnR. Le changement d’échelle nécessaire ne peut s’envisager que par une augmentation significative de la puissance nominale, passant essentiellement par l’accroissement de leur taille et de la densité de courant. Dans ces conditions, un fonctionnement optimal et une durée de vie suffisante ne pourront être obtenus que par l’homogénéisation de la répartition du courant à la surface des électrodes. Au cours de cette thèse, nous avons utilisé pour la première fois un outil de cartographie des distributions de courant et de température à la surface d’AME grande surface, issus d’un design industriel. Une carte de mesure S++® conçue sur mesure et adaptée à l’utilisation envisagée a été intégrée à une monocellule PEM de 250cm². Une caractérisation électro-mécanique de la cellule a mis en évidence le lien existant entre le champ de forces de compression mécanique et de la densité de courant. Nous montrons qu’une compression mécanique optimale n’est pas suffisante pour homogénéiser la distribution de courant : le design de cellule, et plus particulièrement la distribution des fluides, joue un rôle majeur dans l’inhomogénéité de la distribution de courant, récurrente entre le centre et la périphérie de la cellule. Nous soulignons la concentration des lignes de courant vers le centre de l’AME lors de tests dynamiques, conséquence d’un vieillissement spatialement différencié. Nous avons également développé une structure d’électrode permettant de ré-homogénéiser globalement la distribution de courant, ce qui permet un meilleur maintien des performances dans le temps. Nous avons également développé un modèle numérique de la couche catalytique permettant de mieux comprendre la répartition des lignes de courant en fonction des caractéristiques géométriques des collecteurs poreux. Nous mettons en lumière le rôle majeur des surtensions dans le pouvoir répartiteur de la couche active, qui est particulièrement faible côté cathodique. Nous préconisons de densifier la couche catalytique pour une meilleure répartition du courant et pour limiter les différenciations locales de vieillissement. L’ensemble des observations en mono cellule a été confirmé par des essais sur un stack commercial. / Hydrogen production from PEM water electrolysis will take a great place in the energy landscape for RES storage. This scale shift requires a significant increase of the nominal power, and therefore an increase in size and a gain in the current density. Optimal operation (in terms of efficiency and lifetime) can be obtained only if the distribution of current lines over the electrode surface is adequately homogeneous. In this thesis, we have used for the first time a specific tool for the in-situ mapping of current and temperature in a large surface area PEM single cell. A customized S++® measuring plate, adapted to our application, has been implemented in a 250cm² PEM single cell. Electromechanical characterization of the cell has put into evidence the link between the field of clamping force and the local current density. We have shown that an optimal mechanical compression is not sufficient to homogenize current distribution. We have demonstrated that the cell design, in particular the fluid distribution, plays a major role in current distribution inhomogeneities, which recurrently form between the center and the periphery of the cell. We have also shown that during dynamic operation, current lines tend to concentrate at the center of the cell as a consequence of spatially differentiated ageing. We have developed an electrode structure that facilitates the global re-homogenization of current lines and additionally shows an increased durability. In parallel, we have developed a numerical model to calculate the distribution of current lines within the thickness of catalytic layers as a function of the geometry of the PTL. We have found that overvoltages play a major role in current distribution, and that the cathode is prone to more heterogeneities. We propose to densify the catalyst layers for a better current repartition and a lesser differentiated ageing. Key findings from single cell tests have been confirmed on a commercial stack.

abstract: Electro-Selective Fermentation (ESF) combines Selective Fermentation (SF) and a Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) to selectively degrade carbohydrate and protein in lipid-rich microalgae biomass, enhancing lipid wet-extraction. In addition, saturated long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) are produced via β-oxidation. This dissertation builds understanding of the biochemical phenomena and microbial interactions occurring among fermenters, lipid biohydrogenaters, and anode respiring bacteria (ARB) in ESF. The work begins by proving that ESF is effective in enhancing lipid wet-extraction from Scenedesmus acutus biomass, while also achieving “biohydrogenation” to produce saturated LCFAs. Increasing anode respiration effectively scavenges short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) generated by fermentation, reducing electron loss. However, the effectiveness of ESF depends on biochemical characteristics of the feeding biomass (FB). Four different FB batches yield different lipid-extraction performances, based on the composition of FB’s cellular structure. Finally, starting an ESF reactor with a long solid retention time (SRT), but then switching it to a short SRT provides high lipid extractability and volumetric production with low lipid los. Lipid fermenters can be flushed out with short a SRT, but starting with a short SRT fails achieve good results because fermenters needed to degrading algal protective layers also are flushed out and fail to recover when a long SRT is imposed. These results point to a potentially useful technology to harvest lipid from microalgae, as well as insight about how this technology can be best managed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2019