{"id":"CU26056","slug":"porous-electrolytic-cell-for--CU26056","source":{"id":"CU26056","dataset":"techtransfer","title":"Porous electrolytic cell for acid and base production","description_":"<p>This technology is a membrane-free electrolytic cell that forms acid and base from electrolyte solutions, such as brine.</p>\r\r<h2>Unmet Need: Cost effective sustainable production of acid and base from impure brines</h2>\r\r<p>Common electro-synthesis processes, such as the chlor-alkali system, which produces chlorine gas and sodium or potassium hydroxide, must continue to improve through more efficient operation of the electrochemical cells. Membrane-free electrolyzers are a low-cost and robust alternative to electrolyzers based on ion-selective membrane electrolyzers, which are highly sensitive to impurities and thus require costly pre-treatment of the brine.</p>\r\r<h2>The Technology: Membrane-free electrolyzer for production of acid and base</h2>\r\r<p>This membraneless electrolyzer generates basic and acidic effluent streams from feed brines. The electrolyzer consists of multiple cells comprised of porous cathodes, anodes, and separators. Gas generated at one electrode can pass through the integral structure to interact with the opposing electrode, eliminating the need for external processing systems while reducing cell voltages. The system is compatible with both hydrogen and oxygen gases for efficient production of acid and base while allowing fine control of the pH of the product streams.</p>\r\r<h2>Applications:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>Critical minerals processing</li>\r<li>Carbon capture and conversion</li>\r<li>Chlor-alkali production </li>\r<li>Electro-synthesis of common acids and bases</li>\r<li>Environmental application </li>\r</ul>\r\r<h2>Advantages:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>Membrane-free </li>\r<li>Forms acid and base with high energy efficiency</li>\r<li>Cost-efficient </li>\r<li>Compatible with hydrogen and oxygen gases </li>\r</ul>\r\r<h2>Lead Inventor:</h2>\r\r<p><a href=\"https://www.cheme.columbia.edu/faculty/daniel-esposito\">Daniel Esposito, Ph.D.</a></p>\r\r<h2>Patent Information:</h2>\r\r<p>Patent Pending(<a href=\"https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2024155380A1/en?oq=W+O+2024%2f155380\">WO/2024/155380</a>)</p>\r\r<h2>Related Publications:</h2>\r\r<h2>Tech Ventures Reference:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>IR CU26056</li>\r</ul>\r\r","tags":["Acid","Brine","Chloralkali process","Chlorine","Effluent","Electrochemistry","Electrode","Electrolyte","Electrolytic cell","Energy conversion efficiency","Hydrogen","Integral membrane protein","Oxygen","Potassium hydroxide","Synthetic membrane"],"file_number":"CU26056","collections":[],"meta_description":"Membrane-free electrolytic cell efficiently produces acid and base from brine; low-cost, impurity-tolerant, tunable pH. 15 words, ~129 characters","apriori_judge_output":"{\"scores\":{\"novelty\":4.0,\"potential_impact\":4.0,\"readiness\":4.0,\"scalability\":4.0,\"timeliness\":3.0},\"weighted_score\":3.95,\"risks\":[\"Membraneless approach may face scaling challenges with impurity tolerance and long-term stability.\",\"Economic competitiveness vs traditional chlor-alkali systems depends on membrane-free cell durability and operating costs.\",\"Regulatory/industry adoption timelines uncertain; field validation required.\"],\"one_sentence_take\":\"Strong novelty with membraneless architecture and broad applicability, solid readiness toward pilot-scale; however, scalability and adoption risk hinge on long-term stability and cost competitiveness.\"}","inventors":["Daniel Vincent Esposito","Lauren Greenlee"],"manager":"Dovina Qu","depts":["Chemical Engineering/Applied Chemistry"],"divs":["Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)"],"date_released":"2026-05-01"},"highlight":{},"matched_queries":null,"score":0.0}