Luxon Energy Devices Corporation

Lih-Ren Shiue

Fei-Chen Hsieh

Yu-His Hsieh

Chia-Chann Shiue

Abel Sun

Jiung-Jau Jou

Hsing-Chen Chung

Wan-Ting Lo

Lin-Ren Shiue

Ying-Jen Lai

Ming-Liang Chiu

Chin-Hui Lee

S-Yen Wang

An electrolytic process of ozone generation using platinum-coated titanium grid as cathode, &#x3b2;-PbOdeposited on the grid as anode, and batteries in conjunction with supercapacitors as a DC power source is described. No membrane is required to separate the electrodes, and a neutral salt such as NaCl is used to enhance the generation of ozone gas. The electrolytic apparatus comprising a cell, the electrodes, and a bubbler can also be inserted directly in water that needs ozone treatment. As batteries can power the ozone generation, the apparatus can be disposed at point-of-use and away from the city electricity. The electrolytic apparatus can be used for sterilization of water for pharmaceutical industry, household water supply, for surface cleaning of semiconductors, meats, fish, fruits, as well as for disinfection of SPA water and personal hygiene.

Electrolytic cell for ozone generation

A fully automatic deionizer comprising five sub-systems for removing ionic contaminants from various liquids at low energy consumption is devised. Based on the charging-discharging principle of capacitors, the deionizer conducts deionization through applying a low DC voltage to its electrodes for adsorbing ions, while more than 30% of the process energy is recovered and stored by discharging the electrodes. At the mean time of discharge, surface of the electrodes is regenerated on site and reset for performing many more cycles of deionization-regeneration till the desirable purification is attained. In one moment, both deionization and regeneration proceed simultaneously on different groups of electrode modules, and in the next moment the electrode modules quickly switch the two processes. Such swift reciprocating actions are engaged in synchronized coordination of sub-systems of electrode modules, energy management, fluid flow, and automatic control.

Fully automatic and energy-efficient deionizer

Deionizers using the electrode configurations of electrochemical capacitors are described, wherein the deionizing process is called capacitive deionization (CDI). During deionization, a DC electric field is applied to the cells and ions are adsorbed on the electrodes with a potential being developed across the electrodes. As electrosorption reaches a maximum or the cell voltage is built up to the applied voltage, the CDI electrodes are regenerated quickly and quantitatively by energy discharge to storage devices such as supercapacitors. In conjunction with a carousel or Ferris wheel design, the CDI electrodes can simultaneously and continuously undergo deionization and regeneration. By the responsive regeneration, the CDI electrodes can perform direct purification on solutions with salt content higher than seawater. More importantly, electrodes are restored, energy is recovered and contaminants are retained at regeneration, while regeneration requires no chemicals and produces no pollution.

Deionizers with energy recovery

A free-standing flow-through capacitor (FTC) is constructed by concentrically winding two electrodes and two dividers into a hollow-center roll. A liquid-feeding pipe is inserted to the central opening for delivering fluids to the FTC. Nanoparticles of hydrated iron compound with Fe O as the main component or its composite powders are used as the active materials for the electrodes. With channels crated by the dividers assembled in the roll, fluids injected from the feed pipe are confined inside the FTC, and flow outwardly and transversely through the entire length of the electrodes. Under an application of a low DC voltage to the electrodes, charged species are adsorbed and removed from the treated liquids as soon as they are in contact with the electrodes. Capacitive deionization using FTC of the present invention is applicable to waste-streams reduction, water purification and desalination at low costs and easy operation.

Replaceable flow-through capacitors for removing charged species from liquids

Growing community of inventors

Shi Chiu, Taiwan

Fei-Chen Hsieh