Method and device for controlling the activity of a bioelectrochemical system comprising both a bioanode and a biocathode

1. A method for regulating the activity of an electrochemical device said device having an anode and a cathode that are submerged in an electrolyte placed in an anodic compartment and a cathodic compartment, respectively, these compartments being separated by at least one membrane or connected to each other by a salt bridge, the device optionally including a reference electrode,

said method comprising the steps of:

applying a potential difference between the anode and the cathode, or between the anode and the reference electrode;

wherein the electrolyte of the anodic compartment, and the electrolyte of the cathodic compartment contain microorganisms in suspension or in the form of one or more biofilms, the electrodes thus being called the bioanode and biocathode, respectively, and in that the operation of the device is controlled via a dual regulation including the further steps of:

a first regulation called the priority regulation, of the potential difference between the bioanode and the biocathode or between the bioanode and the reference electrode, between a minimal limit value allowing an electroactive biofilm to develop on the bioanode and a maximum limit value that is lower than the oxidation potential of said biofilm; and

once the first regulation has been implemented, a second regulation, called the subsidiary regulation, that optimizes the faradaic efficiency of the biocathode; and

wherein, while maintaining the first regulation of potential difference controlling the biological activity at the bioanode, the second regulation controls the optimization of the current density at the biocathode with a view to producing particular chemical species at the biocathode.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, while maintaining the regulation of the potential at the bioanode, the optimization of the activity of the biocathode with a view to producing particular chemical species is automatically controlled depending on physico-chemical parameters measured in the cathodic compartment, i.e. parameters such as the concentration of one or more chemical species in the electrolyte or in the gaseous atmosphere nearby the biocathode, or the rate of gas production at the biocathode.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the current density at the biocathode is optimized by way of an electronic device allowing the current at the biocathode to be set directly, and/or by way of a voltage generator or a potentiostat that allows the potential of the bioanode, of the biocathode and/or the potential difference between the bioanode and biocathode to be varied.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the current density at the biocathode is optimized by varying the ratio of the active area of the bioanode to the active area of the biocathode.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the ratio of the active area of the bioanode to the active area of the biocathode is varied by varying the submerged area of the bioanode and/or the biocathode.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the variations in the submerged area of the bioanode and/or biocathode are obtained by varying the level of the electrolyte in the anodic compartment and/or in the cathodic compartment.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the variations in the active area of the bioanode and/or biocathode are obtained by moving the bioanode and/or the biocathode in the electrolyte.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the ratio of the active area of the bioanode to the active area of the biocathode is varied by modifying the number of bioanodes in the anodic compartment and/or by modifying the number of biocathodes in the cathodic compartment.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, while maintaining the regulation of the potential at the bioanode, the activity of the biocathode is optimized with a view to producing particular chemical species by regulating chemical parameters in the anodic compartment, i.e. parameters such as the concentration of one or more chemical species in the electrolyte or in the gaseous atmosphere nearby the bioanode.

10. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the chemical species is dihydrogen.

11. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the chemical species is methane.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the chemical species is a non-fermentable molecule such as an organic acid or its salt.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the bioanode, such as an electrode made of carbon, is submerged in an aqueous electrolyte having a pH of about 7, the maximum value of the potential difference between the bioanode and called reference electrode, a standard hydrogen electrode, is such that the potential of the bioanode is lower than or equal to 1 V with respect to the reference electrode and preferably lower than 0.5 V with respect to said reference electrode so as to prevent electrolysis of the water.

14. An electrolyzer for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:

an anode and a cathode that are submerged in an electrolyte placed in an anodic compartment and a cathodic compartment, respectively, these compartments being separated by at least one membrane or connected to each other by a salt bridge, the electrolyte of the anodic compartment containing microorganisms, as does the electrolyte of the cathodic compartment, the electrodes thus being called the bioanode and biocathode, respectively;

optionally a reference electrode; and

means allowing a potential difference to be applied between the bioanode and the biocathode, or between the bioanode and the reference electrode, and means for controlling this potential difference;

wherein said electrochemical device comprises means allowing the faradaic efficiency of the biocathode to be optimized, the optimization being automatically controlled depending on physico-chemical parameters measured at the cathodic compartment and/or at the anodic compartment.

15. The electrochemical device as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said electrochemical device comprises sensors or probes placed in the electrolyte and/or in the gaseous atmosphere nearby the bioanode or biocathode, respectively, said sensors or probes measuring physico-chemical parameters at the anodic compartment and/or the cathodic compartment, i.e. parameters such as the concentration of one or more chemical species.

16. The electrochemical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said electrochemical device comprises means allowing the level of the electrolyte in at least one of the compartments to be varied and/or allowing the bioanode and/or the biocathode to be moved in the electrolyte.

17. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the current density at the biocathode is optimized by way of an electronic device allowing the current at the biocathode to be set directly, and/or by way of a voltage generator or a potentiostat that allows the potential of the bioanode, of the biocathode and/or the potential difference between the bioanode and biocathode to be varied with a precision of a few millivolts.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the chemical species is a non-fermentable molecule such as an organic acid or its salt chosen from acetate, lactate or propionate.