Hybrid direct carbon/coal fuel cells (HDCFCs) utilise an anode based upon a molten carbonate salt with an oxide conducting solid electrolyte for direct carbon/coal conversion. They can be fuelled by a wide range of carbon sources, and offer higher potential chemical to electrical energy conversion efficiency and have the potential to decrease CO2 emissions compared to coal-fired power plants. In this study, the application of (La, Sr)(Cr, Mn)O3 (LSCM) and (Gd, Ce)O2 (GDC) oxide anodes was explored in a HDCFC system running with two different carbon fuels, an organic xerogel and a raw bituminous coal. The electrochemical performance of the HDCFC based on a 1–2 mm thick 8 mol% yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte and the GDC–LSCM anode fabricated by wet impregnation procedures was characterized and discussed. The infiltrated oxide anode showed a significantly higher performance than the conventional Ni–YSZ anode, without suffering from impurity formation under HDCFC operation conditions. Total polarisation resistance (Rp) reached 0.8–0.9 Ω cm2 from DCFC with an oxide anode on xerogel and bituminous coal at 750 °C, with open circuit voltage (OCV) values in the range 1.1–1.2 V on both carbon forms. These indicated the potential application of LSCM–GDC oxide anode in HDCFCs. The chemical compatibility of LSCM/GDC with carbon/carbonate investigation revealed the emergence of an A2BO4 type oxide in place of an ABO3 perovskite structure in the LSCM in a reducing environment, due to Li attack as a result of intimate contact between the LSCM and Li2CO3, with GDC being stable under identical conditions. Such reaction between LSCM and Li2CO3 was not observed on a LSCM–YSZ pellet treated with Li–K carbonate in 5% H2/Ar at 700 °C, nor on a GDC–LSCM anode after HDCFC operation. The HDCFC durability tests of GDC–LSCM oxide on a xerogel and on raw bituminous coal were performed under potentiostatic operation at 0.7 V at 750 °C. The degradation mechanisms were addressed, especially on raw coal.
The CO2 electrochemical reduction via SOEC was studied for a range of cathode materials in va rious operational conditions. The influences of the fuel gas composition, operating potential and temperature on cathode behavior are discussed and compared on different cathodes. The dissociative adsorption and surface diffusion of active species from CO2 reduction reaction was found to contribute dominantly to the LSCM-based cathode working in CO2-CO mixtures. Efforts were also made to obtain a high p...
#1Andrew C. Chien(St And: University of St Andrews)H-Index: 7
#2Ana Arenillas(CSIC: Spanish National Research Council)H-Index: 57
Last. John T. S. Irvine(St And: University of St Andrews)H-Index: 89
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Previous experimental results have shown that a system with molten carbonate and solid oxide electrolyte is feasible for Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC). A study is presented to investigate cell performance with a range of solid carbon (i.e. coals, biochars, graphite) and operation mode in this hybrid electrolyte system. The results show that less crystalline coal with high fixed carbon, low sulfur, medium volatile material and moisture is best suited to this system. Using high rank of fuel such ...
#1Sarbjit Giddey(CSIRO: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)H-Index: 24
#2Sukhvinder P.S. Badwal(CSIRO: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)H-Index: 54
Last. Christopher Munnings(CSIRO: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)H-Index: 16
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Abstract Fuel cells are under development for a range of applications for transport, stationary and portable power appliances. Fuel cell technology has advanced to the stage where commercial field trials for both transport and stationary applications are in progress. The electric efficiency typically varies between 40 and 60% for gaseous or liquid fuels. About 30–40% of the energy of the fuel is available as heat, the quality of which varies based on the operating temperature of the fuel cell. T...
#1Cairong Jiang(St And: University of St Andrews)H-Index: 10
#2Jianjun Ma(St And: University of St Andrews)H-Index: 6
Last. John T. S. Irvine(St And: University of St Andrews)H-Index: 89
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Direct carbon fuel cells offer highly efficient means of converting carbon from waste, biomass or coal to electricity producing an exhaust stream that is well-suited to CO2 sequestration and, hence could underpin a new, clean carbon economy. If this technology is to contribute significantly to improving our impending global energy crisis, three aspects must first be addressed: competitive performance with extant fuel cell technologies, development of practical systems to handle available carbon ...
Gd 0.2 Ce 0.8 O 1.9 (GDC)-impregnated La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 (LSM) electrodes are developed as the anodes for high temperature solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). The effect of anodic polarization current passage on the electrode behavior and microstructure of the LSM- and GDC-impregnated LSM anodes is investigated under low and high currents at 800°C. The results show that the electrocatalytic activity of the freshly prepared LSM is enhanced by the anodic polarization due to the reduction of L...
#1Xiang Li(UQ: University of Queensland)H-Index: 11
#2Zhonghua Zhu(UQ: University of Queensland)H-Index: 83
Last. Andrew Dicks(UQ: University of Queensland)H-Index: 22
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Abstract As a promising high-temperature fuel cell, the direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) has a much higher efficiency and lower emissions compared with conventional coal-fired power plants. In the present DCFC system, four Australian coals from Central Queensland are successfully tested at 600–800 °C. The electrochemical performances of these coals are highly dependent on their intrinsic properties, such as chemical composition, surface area, concentrations of oxygen-containing surface functional ...
Last. John T. S. Irvine(St And: University of St Andrews)H-Index: 89
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Medium density fibreboard is a ubiquitous element in modern furniture, here we consider utilising waste MDF as a future energy source. In particular, we focus upon the hybrid direct carbon fuel cell (HDCFC), which involves a combined molten carbonate/solid oxide fuel cell anode/electrolyte interface and can be fuelled by a wide range of carbon forms. Current–voltage measurements and a.c. impedance at temperatures in the range of 525–800 °C have been made on cells powered by pyrolysed medium dens...
The direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) is a promising power generation device, which has a much higher efficiency (80%) and a lower emission than conventional coal-fired power plants. In this study, different commercial carbon fuels including activated carbon (AC), carbon black (CB220 and CB660), and graphitic carbon (GC) were tested in DCFC at 600−800 °C. The relationship between the intrinsic properties of carbon fuels and their electrochemical performance in the DCFC was analyzed. It is found tha...
This contribution reports the use of an organic gel, xerogel, as catalyst support for Cu. The xerogel was synthesized from the system tannin-formaldehyde at pH 3, using F-127 Pluronic as surfactant. The surface area values were higher than 900 m2/g even after the Cu (10%, wt) impregnation. The morphological analysis by SEM-FEG revealed the presence of spheres arranged in a tridimensional structure. XRD diffractograms showed the presence of CuO and Cu2O crystalline phases combined with the amorph...
#1Minjian Ma(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 4
#2Xiaoxia Yang(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 4
Last. Kening Sun(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 34
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Abstract Carbon-fueled solid oxide fuel cells (CF-SOFCs) can electrochemically convert the chemical energy in carbon into electricity, which demonstrate both superior electrical efficiency and fuel utilisation compared to all other types of fuel cells. However, using solid carbon as the fuel of SOFCs also faces some challenges, the fluid mobility and reactive activity of carbon-based fuels are much lower than those of gaseous fuels. Therefore, the anode reaction kinetics plays a crucial role in ...
Last. Bin Chen(SZU: Shenzhen University)H-Index: 97
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Abstract The hybrid direct coal fuel cell is a promising technology for the generation of power using coal, which is abundant and cheap. However, restricted contact between the solid carbon in the coal and the anode of the cell not only limits the electrochemical oxidation sites, but also adversely affects the transport of electrons and ions. Herein, we demonstrate a new strategy of using Cu-modified Ni foams as the three-dimensional outer anode for a high-performance hybrid direct coal fuel cel...
#1Minjian Ma(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 4
#2Xiaoxia Yang(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 4
Last. Zhenhua Wang(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 26
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Effective utilization of carbonaceous fuels is essential to address the economic and environmental challenges in the future. Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DCSOFCs) offer a promising solution, but their performance is hindered by the sluggish anode processes and poor stability. Herein, a novel layered perovskite, (PrBa)0.95Fe1.6Ni0.2Nb0.2O5+δ (PBFNN), is developed as a highly effective anode material for DCSOFCs. FeNi3 nanoparticles on the perovskite substrate are in situ exsolved under t...
#1Minjian Ma(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 4
#2Jinshuo Qiao(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 21
Last. Zhenhua Wang(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 26
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In this work, we investigate a novel A-site ordered layered perovskite oxide, (PrBa)0.95Fe1.8–xCuxNb0.2O5+δ (PBFCN), as an anode material for hybrid direct carbon fuel cells (HDCFCs). We study the ...
#1Jianjun Ma(SUSE: Sichuan University of Science and Engineering)
#2Bowen Zhang(SUSE: Sichuan University of Science and Engineering)
Last. Cairong Jiang(SUSE: Sichuan University of Science and Engineering)
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Abstract A hybrid direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) with a combination of molten carbon and solid oxide fuel cell attracts more attention as a new energy device. The oxidation mechanism in this system has not been better understood. In this paper, we have designed a cell configuration with movable wires to allow the distance between the anode current collector and the anode layer to be adjusted. The experimental results showed that the series resistance of the cell depends on the position of the cu...
#1C. Athanasiou(DUTH: Democritus University of Thrace)H-Index: 8
#2I. Garagounis(A.U.Th.: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)H-Index: 12
Last. Michael Stoukides(A.U.Th.: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)H-Index: 31
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Abstract A Ni-YSZ/YSZ/Ag–Pt cell was used to demonstrate the concept of high temperature lignite-assisted electrolysis in hybrid (combined solid oxide and molten carbonate) operation. To assess the performance of the hybrid concept, the same cell was also used for lignite-assisted electrolysis in absence of an anodic carbonate load, as well as for fuel cell measurements using H2 and lignite as fuels, the latter both with and free of molten carbonates. In fuel cell operation, the hybrid direct li...
Abstract The current work explores the feasibility to improve the performance of a Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC): CO2 + bituminous coal|Co-CeO2/YSZ/Ag|Air by infusing a gasification catalyst (Co/CeO2) and/or Li-K carbonates mixture into the carbon fuel. The different fuel feedstock mixtures were characterized by various methods, involving chemical composition and proximate analysis, particle size distribution (PSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption (BET method), thermogravimetr...
Last. Jinshuo Qiao(BIT: Beijing Institute of Technology)H-Index: 21
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Abstract B-site substituted Sr 2 Fe 1.4 X 0.1 Mo 0.5 O 6-δ (SFXM, X = Bi, Al and Mg) are evaluated as anode materials for hybrid direct carbon fuel cells (HDCFCs). The structure, morphology, conductivity and catalytic activity of the as-prepared SFXM anode are systematically investigated. Under a reducing atmosphere, the exsolution of metallic Fe from the SFXM perovskite lattice are demonstrated by the XRD, SEM and TEM observations. Further element valence analysis on reduced SFXM suggests the X...
