Abstract:
Microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) and microbial electrosynthesis systems (MES) are both electricity-driven microbial electrochemical technology. The MEC is for hydrogen production from organic matter, while the MES is for organic matter production from CO2. The reactor design is one of the crucial factors that determine the performance and the up-scaling potential of MEC and MES. In this presentation, I will first briefly overview the conventional and advanced reactor designs reported for MEC and MES. Subsequently, I will introduce the MEC and MES reactors of different scales that I developed in the past decade. Then, I will summarize the key strategies that can be implemented to enhance the performance of MEC and MES reactors. Finally, I will provide some suggestions and perspectives on the future development of MEC and MES reactors.
Bio:
Kun Guo is a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University. He obtained his PhD degree in 2014 from the University of Queensland, Australia. After that, he worked as a Postdoc at Ghent University, Belgium till 2018 with the support of the prestigious FWO postdoctoral Fellowship. In November 2018, he took the current position under the “Young Talent Support Plan” of Xi’an Jiaotong University. Currently, he leads a research group for Microbial and Electrochemical Technology (MET) at Xi’an Jiaotong University. His main research efforts are on microbial electrosynthesis of chemicals from CO2, energy and resource recovery from wastewater, and electro-fermentation. He is the author or co-author of over 35 refereed articles, 4 Book chapters, and two Chinese patents. He is the winner of the Discovery Award of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET) in 2014, the Chinese Government Award for the outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad in 2013, and the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship from the Australian Government in 2011. He serves as an Editorial Board Member for Microbial Biotechnology and Frontiers in Microbiology.