USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Leonard M Tender

Martin C Peckerar

Eric S Snow

Randall S Alberte

Joel P Golden

Stephanie Fertig

Jeffrey W Book

Andrew Quaid

Sarah M Glaven

Frank K Perkins

Daniel A Lowy

Ian Martens

Harold J Bright

Clare Reimers

Lina Bird

'Biocathode MCL,' designated for its main bacterial constituents (, Chromatiaceae, and), is a stable microbial community enriched from seawater that forms biofilms on the surfaces of electrodes. These biofilms are effective to perform carbon fixation without the need for external electrical power nor sunlight applied thereto.

Conductive materials to drive bacterial carbon dioxide fixation

A remotely-deployed benthic microbial fuel cell is provided, as well as a method for deploying the benthic microbial fuel cell. The remotely-deployed benthic microbial fuel cell has a mooring that includes a base unit, and a plurality of flukes mounted to a perimeter of a bottom portion of the base unit, the plurality of flukes being preconfigured to automatically move from a stored position to a deployed position. The benthic microbial fuel cell includes an anode that is mounted to the bottom portion of the base unit, and isolated from oxygenated water in an anoxic chamber by the plurality of flukes when in the deployed position. The benthic microbial fuel cell further includes a cathode that is attached to the base unit outside the anoxic chamber, where the cathode stays in oxygenated water when the remotely-deployed bottom mooring is deployed.

Remotely-deployed benthic microbial fuel cell

Systems and methods are presented for generating and storing electric power in which a microbial solar cell is provided in a sealed container with photosynthetic organisms that generate reactants of the microbial fuel cell and the products of the microbial fuel cell from sunlight received through the container.

Method and apparatus for generating electrical power using sunlight and microorganisms

An apparatus and method for generating power from the voltage gradient naturally found in marine sediments. A pump flows sediment porewater to an anode, and a cathode is exposed to marine water. The arrangement can power a circuit.

Method and apparatus for generating power from voltage gradients at sediment-water interfaces using active transport of sediment porewater

An improved benthic microbial fuel cell for generating energy at the interface of aquatic sediment and seawater includes an anode electrode embedded within the aquatic sediment, a cathode electrode positioned within the seawater and above the aquatic sediment, a rig for maintaining the relative positions of the anode and cathode electrodes, electrical leads extending from the anode and cathode electrodes to a load, wherein the anode electrode comprises a bottlebrush electrode residing within a permeable tube. The apparatus is easier to deploy than previously-described fuel cells, while being lighter, more durable, and generating greater power density. Also disclosed are methods of generating power from such an apparatus.

Advanced apparatus for generating electrical power from aquatic sediment/water interfaces

An apparatus having a metallic manganese anode; a cathode capable of reducing at least one species found in marine water; and a rig coupled to the anode and the cathode capable of maintaining the anode below a marine sediment surface and maintaining the cathode above marine the sediment surface. A method of generating power by: positioning in marine sediment a metallic manganese anode; positioning in marine water a cathode capable of reducing at least one species found in marine water; and connecting electrical leads between the anode, the cathode, and an electrical load.

Apparatus equipped with metallic manganese anode for generating power from voltage gradients at the sediment-water interface

A method and apparatus for generating power from voltage gradients at sediment-water interfaces or within stratified euxinic water-columns is provided. Natural voltage gradients typically exist at and about sediment-water interfaces or in isolated water bodies. One electrode (anode) is positioned in the sediment or water just below the redox boundary and the other electrode (cathode) is positioned in the water above the redox boundary over the first electrode. The anode is lower in voltage than the cathode. Current will flow when the electrodes are connected through a load, and near-perpetual generating of worthwhile power may be sustained by the net oxidation of organic matter catalyzed by microorganisms.

Method and apparatus for generating power from voltage gradients at sediment-water interfaces

Molecular recognition-based electronic sensor, which is gateless, depletion mode field effect transistor consisting of source and drain diffusions, a depletion-mode implant, and insulating layer chemically modified by immobilized molecular receptors that enables miniaturized label-free molecular detection amenable to high-density array formats. The conductivity of the active channel modulates current flow through the active channel when a voltage is applied between the source and drain diffusions. The conductivity of the active channel is determined by the potential of the sample solution in which the device is immersed and the device-solution interfacial capacitance. The conductivity of the active channel modulates current flow through the active channel when a voltage is applied between the source and drain diffusions. The interfacial capacitance is determined by the extent of occupancy of the immobilized receptor molecules by target molecules. Target molecules can be either charged or uncharged. Change in interfacial capacitance upon target molecule binding results in modulation of an externally supplied current through the channel.

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Bethesda, MD, United States of America

Leonard M Tender