Temperature-controlled enhancement of oxygen uptake from water using oxygen carrier solution

Development of an artificial gill, for the uptake of oxygen from water to air, requires an increase in oxygen transfer rate. In the present study, oxygen transfer rate was enhanced using a washed red blood cell suspension as a thermo-responsive oxygen carrier solution, which changes oxygen affinity with temperature. Oxygen dissolved in water first combined with the oxygen carrier solution at a low temperature using a membrane module. The oxygen carrier solution was then heated to release oxygen into the air using a second membrane module. The water flow rate required to sustain a human being at rest was greatly reduced by heating the oxygen carrier solution due to increase in the limit of the oxygen partial pressure of water of which can be transferred, compared with when oxygen was transferred directly from water. The required membrane surface area is 225 m2, sufficient for the development of a compact artificial gill.