Rapid-prototyped electrochemical oxygen absorber

• Main Author: Wong, George Zhi Yi
• Other Authors: Dino Accoto
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/149136
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This project presents a container with an electrochemical cell that can absorb the oxygen within the container. Due to the aforementioned property as well as it being reusable, the electrochemical cell ensures a greater level of food preservation within the containers whilst being environmentally friendly. This is in comparison to a traditional iron powder-based scavenger which can be toxic should the protective layer break and is only deployed for a one-time usage. In this project, an existing food container was adapted, improved upon, and evaluated via simulations to determine an optimal design. The design where the pressure normalising component is situated on the lid was found to be optimal with a certain configuration of thickness. The electrochemical cell is fabricated by stacking layers of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) electrolyte, zinc plates and carbon cloth with platinum on carbon sandwiched tightly between 2 spacers. Thereafter the lid design was conceptualized and fabricated to house the electrochemical cell. 2 leads will be passing through the lid and will be attached to the anode and cathode of the electrochemical cell to facilitate charging and discharging. The prototype has been demonstrated to be capable of extending the secondary shelf life of food products kept within with various types of perishable foods. However, there is room for improvement. Recommendations for future work are included in the final chapter.