{"id":38327,"date":"2024-03-26T16:46:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T16:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alicat.com\/?post_type=article&p=38327"},"modified":"2026-01-26T16:47:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:47:04","slug":"beschreibung-einer-theoretischen-kontinuierlichen-wasserstoffproduzierenden-mikrobiellen-elektrolyse-und-entsalzungszelle-medc","status":"publish","type":"support","link":"https:\/\/www.alicat.com\/de\/support\/describing-a-theoretical-continuous-flow-hydrogen-producing-microbial-electrolysis-and-desalination-cell-medc\/","title":{"rendered":"Wasserstoff erzeugende, mikrobielle Elektrolyse- und Entsalzungszelle (MEDC)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_heading title=”Hydrogen producing, microbial electrolysis and desalination cell (MEDC) ” _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

Combining desalination, wastewater treatment, hydrogen production, and electricity generation\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\nSince the mid 2000s researchers have been developing microbial electrochemical systems (MESs), including\u00a0microbial fuel cells<\/a>\u00a0(MFCs) which generate bioelectricity from exoelectrogenic bacteria. Two types of MESs of particular interest are microbial electrolysis cells which use bacteria to create hydrogen and other gases and microbial desalination cells which use bacteria to remove salt from water.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nCombining these two systems together creates a microbial electrolysis and desalination cell (MEDC). With this pairing, hydrogen gas can be concurrently generated while desalinating water, removing biowastes, and producing electricity.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nWhen applying an additional power source to operate an MEDC, such as solar energy or a microbial fuel cell (MFC), the efficiency of a microbial electrolysis and desalination (MEDC) can be improved, allowing for even greater amounts of hydrogen generation, wastewater treatment, and salt removal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThe following discusses a theoretical continuous flow, renewable hydrogen producing, electricity generating, desalinating and wastewater treating, microbial electrolysis and desalination cell amplified by a microbial fuel cell, integrating Alicat mass flow controllers for liquid and gas flow regulation throughout the system.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n

Microbial electrolysis and desalination cell optimized by a microbial fuel cell for simultaneous renewable hydrogen production, electricity generation, wastewater treatment, and water desalination<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Background info<\/h3>\nIn 2010 researchers developed a\u00a0<\/span>batch-flow MEDC<\/span><\/a>\u00a0capable of producing hydrogen while treating wastewater and desalinating water simultaneously. In this system, it was found that applying additional electricity increased the efficiency of the MEDC\u2019s hydrogen generation and desalination.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAlternatively, researchers previously developed a continuous flow MFC powered MEC system and a continuous flow MDC system. By applying the electricity generated from the MFC to the MEC, additional hydrogen was produced.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nTherefore, it is possible to combine these systems, allowing for a continuous or batch flow MEDC amplified by a MFC. In other words, it is possible to simultaneously generate electricity, treat wastewater, desalinate water, and produce renewable hydrogen by using these systems together.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n

Making a hydrogen producing MFC powered MEDC<\/h3>\nAn MFC powered MEDC works by firstly creating a continuous flowing biomass solution which is pumped from a wastewater reservoir to a MFC to produce bioelectricity. The bioelectricity produced by the MFC would be routed to the MEDC system, while the wastewater outflow would run as the inflow to the MEDC.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nInstead of operating in batch mode, the MEDC could run continuously by flowing the wastewater solution through the microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) to generate hydrogen while a concurrent water line from an ocean water reservoir would run into the microbial desalination cell (MDC) to remove ocean salts. After this, the wastewater line would flow back into the microbial fuel cell, repeating over and over. At the same time, the ocean water would flow back into the desalination cell, also repeating over and over. The process would stop once the wastewater solution and ocean water solution are cleaned such that more hydrogen or salt removal is no longer possible.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAfter sufficient hydrogen production, wastewater treatment, desalination, and electricity production has occurred from enough cycling, the treated desalination outflow could be mixed with the treated wastewater into a final clean water reservoir. At this point, new wastewater and ocean water could enter the wastewater and ocean water lines, replacing the cleaned water. The hydrogen gas within the cleaned water could then be separated and stored, such as through a sparging process or via a\u00a0pressure swing adsorption<\/a>\u00a0process. Remaining bioelectricity generated by the system could be stored in batteries.\u00a0<\/span>\n

System flow control\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\nIn research experiments of MESs, including microbial fuel cells, microbial electrolysis cells, and microbial desalination cells, the flow rates for all of these separate MESs could be precisely controlled by liquid mass flow controllers, such as\u00a0LC-Series<\/a>\u00a0or CODA\u00a0KC-Series<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAdditionally, these systems can be automated in a control loop using electronic valves and Alicat mass flow controllers, ensuring that flow rates are optimized to maximize electricity generation, hydrogen production, wastewater treatment, and desalination.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nUsing totalizing and\u00a0batching<\/a>\u00a0settings on Alicat\u2019s liquid mass flow controllers such as CODA KC-Series or LC-Series, these systems can automatically cycle themselves or replace wastewater in batches.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nDue to precise flow control, Alicat\u2019s liquid mass flow controllers can also be used for custom biofluid mixing and testing for these systems. Thus, a wide range of standardized biowaste solutions could be researched and optimized to run through the system, increasing system efficiency.<\/span>\n\nAdditionally, depending on system design, other important gases besides hydrogen could also be generated.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAlicat\u2019s CODA KC-Series can be customized to include\u00a0Coriolis meter-pumps<\/a>\u00a0to drive the flow throughout the system. Instead of needing to pressurize the wastewater solution inflow, Coriolis meter pumps can ensure that correct amounts of fluids could move through different parts of the system.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n\nLC-Series specs and features include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\n
    \n\t
  • NIST-traceable accuracy up to \u00b12% of full scale\u202f<\/b>\u202f\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\t
  • Batching and totalizing options<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nCODA KC-Series specs and features include:\u00a0<\/span>\n
      \n\t
    • NIST-traceable liquid accuracy up to \u00b10.2% of reading or \u00b10.05% of full scale\u202f<\/b>\u202f\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\t
    • Batching and totalizing options<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n\t
    • Pressure rated up to 4000 PSIA<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\t
    • Control range down to 40 g\/h<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"featured_media":46458,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1920","content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-38327","support","type-support","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHydrogen Producing, Microbial Electrolysis and Desalination Cell (MEDC) - Alicat Scientific<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how Alicat devices support ydrogen producing, microbial electrolysis and desalination cells\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alicat.com\/de\/unterstutzung\/beschreibung-einer-theoretischen-kontinuierlichen-wasserstoffproduzierenden-mikrobiellen-elektrolyse-und-entsalzungszelle-medc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hydrogen Producing, Microbial Electrolysis and Desalination Cell (MEDC)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how Alicat devices support ydrogen producing, microbial electrolysis and desalination cells\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alicat.com\/de\/unterstutzung\/beschreibung-einer-theoretischen-kontinuierlichen-wasserstoffproduzierenden-mikrobiellen-elektrolyse-und-entsalzungszelle-medc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alicat Scientific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alicatscientific\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-26T16:47:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alicat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/featured-alicat.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4\u00a0Minuten\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alicat.com\\\/support\\\/describing-a-theoretical-continuous-flow-hydrogen-producing-microbial-electrolysis-and-desalination-cell-medc\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alicat.com\\\/support\\\/describing-a-theoretical-continuous-flow-hydrogen-producing-microbial-electrolysis-and-desalination-cell-medc\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hydrogen Producing, Microbial Electrolysis and Desalination Cell (MEDC) - 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