Hybrid direct carbon fuel cells and their reaction mechanisms—a review

As coal is expected to continue to dominate power generation demands worldwide, it is advisable to pursue the development of more efficient coal power generation technologies. Fuel cells show a much higher fuel utilization efficiency, emit fewer pollutants (NO _x , SO _x ), and are more easily combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) due to the high purity of CO₂ emitted in the exhaust gas. Direct carbon (or coal) fuel cells (DCFCs) are directly fed with solid carbon to the anode chamber. The fuel cell converts the carbon at the anode and the oxygen at the cathode into electricity, heat and reaction products. The use of an external gasifier and a fuel cell operating on syngas (e.g. integrated gasification fuel cells) is briefly discussed for comparative purposes. A wide array of DCFC types have been investigated over the last 20 years. Here, the diversity of pre-commercialization DCFC research efforts is discussed on the fuel cell stack and system levels. The range of DCFC types can be roughly broken down into four fuel cell types: aqueous hydroxide, molten hydroxide, molten carbonate and solid oxide fuel cells. Emphasis is placed on the electrochemical reactions occurring at the anode and the proposed mechanism(s) of these reactions for molten carbonate, solid oxide and hybrid direct carbon fuel cells. Additionally, the criteria of choosing the ‘best’ DCFC technology is explored, including system design (continuous supply of solid fuel), performance (power density, efficiency), environmental burden (fresh water consumed, solid waste produced, CO₂ emitted, ease of combination with CCS) and economics (levelized cost of electricity).     

Active MgH2?Mg Systems for Reversible Chemical Energy Storage

An overview of the importance of and methods available for heat storage in the form of sensible and latent heat is followed by a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of reversible thermochemical energy storage compared to conventional energy sources such as fuels, i.e. irreversible chemical energy carriers. Of the reversible metal-hydride–metal systems, the MgH₂? Mg system is particularly attractive as a hydrogen and a high-temperature heat storage material because of its high hydrogen content and the high energy content of the Mg–H bond. The advances made in this area over the past few years, namely in catalytic hydrogenation and the doping of magnesium powders, have led to the development of “active MgH₂? Mg systems” for energy storage. The first experimental results on high-temperature heat storage (also with cooling) by coupling a MgH₂? Mg storage system with a low-temperature metal hydride storage system are presented.     

Using 3D Composite Electrode Materials for Electricity Generation from Swine Wastewater in a Dual‐Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells

Swine wastewater has a high concentration of organic matter, suspended solids, and higher ammonia nitrogen, odor, complex polluting ingredients, and large emissions. A two‐chambered cubic microbial fuel cell (MFC) was used to evaluate the effect of a novel three‐dimensional (3D ) electrode made of 3D iron composites and 3D stainless composites on the electricity generation. Swine wastewater with a total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD ) of 3688 ± 300 mg/L was used as the feedstock in the anode chamber. The MFC reactor was incubated with an initial pH of 7.0 in an air shaker with a temperature of ~35°C and 100 rpm in the fed‐batch mode. A fixed external resistance (R ) of 100 Ω was connected between the electrodes, and the closed‐circuit potentials of the MFCs were recorded every 5 min. The results showed that using an iron–carbon fiber composite 3D electrode resulted in a peak electricity generation of 321 mV on the first 2 days and maintained a stable voltage of 163 mV during the second to sixth days. The COD removal efficiency could reach 75%. Using a stainless–carbon fiber 3D electrode could generate a peak voltage of only 29.5 mV and a stable voltage of 15.2 mV with a COD removal efficiency of 54%.     

Highly-active,metal-free,carbon-based ORR cathode for efficient organics removal and electricity generation in a PFC system

A highly-active,metal-free,carbon-based oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) cathode,i.e.,graphitized Ndoped carbon felt(GNCF),was prepared,for the first time,by in-situ modifying the doping species of polyacrylonitrile(PAN)-based carbon felt(CF) via a facile annealing process in Ar atmosphere.It was applied for dramatically enhanced organics degradation and electricity generation in a photocatalytic fuel cell(PFC) system.The GNCF showed enhanced specific surface area,improved graphitization and raised ratio of graphitic N,therefore resulting in excellently improved ORR performance compared to the CF.When applying the GNCF as a cathode in a PFC system,the proposed PFC showed significant improvement in degrading various model organic contaminants and outputing electricity simultaneously when compared with the PFC with CF.For instance,the apparent rate constant and electricity output efficiency showed ～10.6 times and ～7.2 times,respectively,improvement when using rhodamine B as model waste.Further improved performance was also achieved by aeration of air or O_2 due to the fu rther enhanced ORR.The proposed PFC was also efficient in a wide pH,and kept outsta nding stability in long-term utilization.     

Optimization of Bioelectricity Generation in Fed-Batch Microbial Fuel Cell: Effect of Electrode Material,Initial Substrate Concentration,and Cycle Time

Effective wastewater treatment and electricity generation using dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) will require a better understanding of how operational parameters affect system performance. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate the bioelectricity production in a dual-chambered MFC-operated batch mode under different operational conditions. Initially, platinum (Pt) and mixed metal oxide titanium (Ti-TiO₂) electrodes were used to investigate the influence of the electrode materials on the power generation at initial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of 400 mg/L and cycle time of 15 days. MFC equipped with Ti-TiO₂ electrode performed better and was used to examine the effect of influent DOC concentration and cycle time on MFC performance. Increasing influent DOC concentration resulted in improving electricity generation, corresponding to a 1.65-fold increase in power density. However, decrease in cycle time from 15 to 5 days adversely affected reactor performance. Maximum DOC removal was 90?±?3 %, which was produced at 15-day cycle time with an initial DOC of 3,600 mg/L, corresponding to maximum power generation of about 7,205 mW/m².     

Influence of Cycle Temperatures on the Thermochemical Heat Storage Densities in the Systems Water/Microporous and Water/Mesoporous Adsorbents

The adsorption equilibrium of water on microporous adsorbents (zeolites of NaA-, NaY- and NaX-type as well as their ion exchanged forms) and on mesoporous adsorbents (different silica gels and composite material i.e. silica gel + salt hydrate) has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Using the Dubinin theory of pore filling the characteristic curves of the adsorption systems and other relevant dependences such as isotherms, isobars, isosteres and the curve of the differential heat of adsorption were calculated. For all systems investigated the adsorption were calculated. A_ads and the desorption potential A_des of the closed heat storage system were estimated. These values define the working range of the adsorption/desorption cycle and allow to calculate the specific heat storage density Δ h_sp. On the basis of Δ h_sp the different adsorbents were compared in order to select the optimal porous storage material for a given application. The presented experimental and theoretical investigations show that the adsorption systems water-zeolite and water-composites are promising working pairs for thermochemical heat storage processes for hot tap water supply and space heating of single family dwellings. The advantage of the water-composite system is the low desorption temperature (solar energy) the main shortcoming the low temperature lift. The advantage of the water zeolite system is the high temperature lift, the shortcoming are the relative high desorption temperatures.     

Electrochemical hydrogen storage in porous carbons with acidic electrolytes: Uncovering the potential

Electrochemical hydrogen storage in porous carbon materials is emerging as a cost-effective hydrogen storage and transport technology with competitive power and energy densities. The merits of electrochemical hydrogen storage using porous conductive carbon-based electrodes are reviewed. The employment of acidic electrolytes in such storage systems is compared with alkaline electrolytes. The recent innovations of a proton battery for smaller-scale electricity storage, and a proton flow reactor system for larger (grid)-scale storage and bulk export of hydrogen produced from renewable energy, are briefly described. It is argued that such systems, along with variants proposed by others, all of which rely on electrochemical hydrogen storage in porous carbons, can contribute to the search for energy storage technologies essential for the transition to a zero-emission global economy.     

Comparative Study of Different Operation Modes of Microbial Fuel Cells Treating Food Residue Biomass

Four multiple air–cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were developed under the scope of using extracts from fermentable household food waste (FORBI) for the production of bioelectricity. The operation of the MFCs was assessed in batch mode, considering each cell individually. Τhe chemical oxygen demand (COD) efficiency was relatively high in all cases (>85% for all batch cycles) while the electricity yield was 20 mJ/gCOD/L of extract solution. The four units were then electrically connected as a stack, both in series and in parallel, and were operated continuously. Approximately 62% COD consumption was obtained in continuous stack operation operated in series and 67% when operated in parallel. The electricity yield of the stack was 2.6 mJ/gCOD/L of extract solution when operated continuously in series and 0.7 mJ/gCOD/L when operated continuously in parallel.     

Microwave pyrolysis of straw bale and energy balance analysis

The compressed wheat and corn straw bale were pyrolyzed on a microwave heating device self-designed and built with respect to the time-resolved temperature distribution, mass loss and product properties. Considering scale up and technology promotion of microwave pyrolysis (MWP), the investigations on electricity consumption and energy balance of MWP were carried out emphatically. The results indicated that MWP had obvious advantages over conventional pyrolysis, such as heating rapid and more valuable products obtained. The distribution of pyrolysis products such as gas, liquid and char was close to 1:1:1 due to the medium pyrolysis temperature and the slow heating rate, which was not favorable for the formation of gas and/or liquid products. The content of H₂ attained the highest value of 35 vol.% and syngas (H₂ and CO) was greater than 50 vol.%. The electricity consumption of MWP was between 0.58 and 0.65 kW h (kg straw)⁻¹ and with the increase of microwave power, the electricity consumption required for pyrolysis of unit mass of straw increased. The minimum microwave power for MWP was about 0.371 kW (kg straw)⁻¹ and the proportion of heat loss and conversion loss of electricity to microwave energy occupied in the total input energy was 42%. Data and information obtained are useful for the design and operation of pyrolysis of large-sized biomass via microwave heating technology.     

生物膜电极在以苯酚为燃料的微生物燃料电池中的应用

以苯酚为燃料, 生物膜电极为负极, Ti/SnO₂-Sb₂O₅/PbO₂电极为正极, 构建了双室微生物燃料电池. 利用微电流驯化法和自然驯化法分别制备了生物膜电极, 研究了微生物的挂膜方法、 挂膜时间和负极基底材料种类对微生物燃料电池产电能力的影响. 结果表明, 微电流驯化法优于自然驯化法, 微电流驯化法制备的生物膜电极更利于电池的产电; 微生物的挂膜时间为8 d时, 电池的产电能力最高, 其最大输出功率密度达到39 mW/m²; 不同基底材料生物膜电极所组建的微生物燃料电池产电能力高低顺序为碳毡>石墨>钛网>泡沫钛.     

氮气热处理对CNTs-LaNi5电极电化学性能的影响

研究了碳纳米管(CNTs)氮气热处理后结构的变化, 以及热处理温度对CNTs-LaNi5电极电化学性能的影响. CNTs热处理后, 管壁变薄, 层数变少, 管的外径减小, 更有利于氢气的吸附和脱附. 将碳纳米管与LaNi5储氢合金按质量比1:10混合, 制作成CNTs-LaNi5电极. 800 ℃时CNTs-LaNi5电极的储氢性能最好, 最大容量为519.1 mAh•g-1, 相应的平台电压高达1.19 V. 在500～600 ℃范围内, 随着温度升高, 放电容量有较大幅度的增加; 在600～800 ℃范围内, 随着温度升高, 放电容量有较小幅度的增加; 但到900 ℃时, 放电容量反而下降. 由此可见, CNTs的热处理温度对CNTs-LaNi5电极的电化学储氢性能有着较大的影响. 纯LaNi5电极的放电容量仅为265.6 mAh•g-1, 平台电压仅为0.83 V. 添加了碳纳米管的CNTs-LaNi5电极的电化学活性高于纯LaNi5电极.     

Recent advances in photosynthetic energy conversion

Photosynthesis is one of the first natural processes evolved by cyanobacteria, algae and green plants to trap light and CO₂ in the form of reduced carbon compounds while simultaneously oxidizing water to oxygen. The photosynthetic energy conversion forms the basis for all the existing life today. The photosynthetic energy is being harnessed in many ways using modern technologies for the production of fuels using photosynthetic organisms, generation of direct electricity using photosystems/photosynthetic organisms in photo-bioelectrochemical cells or through photovoltaic systems. While the production of energy rich carbon fuels (ethanol, propanol) from photosynthetic organisms has already been accomplished due to advancement in understanding microbial physiology and metabolism, the photosynthetic hydrogen production as well as direct electricity generation from light is still at its infancy. Recent advances include combining photosystem complexes with hydrogenases for hydrogen production, using isolated thylakoids, photosystems on nanostructured electrodes such as gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, ZnO nanoparticles for electricity generation. Many challenging optimizations on the immobilization methods, catalyst stability and isolation procedures, electron transfer strategies have acquired momentum leading to the production of more stable and higher current densities and power densities in photosynthetic devices. Further, the use of whole cell microorganisms (cyanobacteria, microalgae) rather than their isolated counterparts has produced promising results. The photosynthetic energy conversion has an enormous potential for renewable energy generation in a sustainable and environment friendly manner.     

Fe部分替代Cu对低钴AB_5型贮氢合金相结构和电化学性能的影响

为了获得既具有较高电化学容量又具有良好循环稳定性的低钴AB5型贮氢合金,研究了Fe部分替代Cu对低钴AB5型贮氢合金相结构和电化学性能的影响.采用真空感应熔炼方法,制备了一系列含Cu和Fe的低钴AB5型贮氢合金LaNi3.55Mn0.35Co0.20Al0.20Cu0.85-xFex(x=0.10,0.20,0.25,0.40,0.60).粉末X射线衍射(XRD)分析表明,合金含有单一CaCu5型六方结构的LaNi5相,Fe部分替代Cu并没有改变合金的本体相结构,但随着Fe含量的增大,晶格参数a,c和晶胞体积V增大.电化学性能测试表明,随着x增加,合金的放电容量和高倍率放电能力降低,但是循环稳定性得到了显著提高.当x从0.10增加到0.60时,合金的200周循环稳定性(S200)从77.6%提高到89.9%.Fe替代Cu有利于提高合金的循环稳定性,这主要是随着Fe替代量增大,晶胞体积增大,晶格体积膨胀率明显减小,合金的抗粉化能力增强.     

Rechargeable Biomass Battery for Electricity Storage/generation and Concurrent Valuable Chemicals Production

The development of a rechargeable battery that can produce valuable chemicals in both electricity storage and generation processes holds great promise for increasing the electron economy and economic value. However, this battery has yet to be explored. Herein, we report a biomass flow battery that generates electricity while producing furoic acid, and store electricity while yielding furfuryl alcohol. The battery is composed of a rhodium-copper (Rh₁Cu) single-atom alloy as anode, a cobalt-doped nickel hydroxide (Co_0.2Ni_0.8(OH)₂) as cathode, and furfural-containing anolyte. In a full battery evaluation, this battery displays an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.29 V and a peak power density up to 107 mW cm⁻², surpassing most catalysis-battery hybrid systems. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate that this battery produces 1 kg furoic acid with 0.78 kWh electricity output, and yields 0.62 kg furfuryl alcohol when 1 kWh electricity is stored. This work may shed light on the design of rechargeable batteries with value-added functionality such as chemicals production.     

Solar heat storage using chemical reactions

As an alternative to storage of sensible heat in liquids or solids or as latent heat of fusion, heat storage by means of reversible chemical reactions is under investigation. By this method, a chemical is separated into two components by heating and heat absorption, following which the components are stored in separate vessels and are recombined to generate heat when it is needed. The attractiveness of this concept of heat storage is not only higher energy density, but the capability to store energy as long as desired at ambient temperature, the option of transporting the chemicals to generate heat at another location, and the high temperatures characteristic of some of the reactions which result in high efficiency when the stored heat is used to generate electricity. Many reactions have been proposed and analyzed. Experimental work is in progress on inorganic hydroxide/oxide reactions, the decomposition of ammoniated salts, sulfur trioxide decomposition, ammonium sulfate decomposition, and others. The problems to be solved and potential applications are illustrated by the results of work in progress on Mg(OH)₂ and Ca(OH)₂ decomposition.     

Dual‐Doped Molybdenum Trioxide Nanowires: A Bifunctional Anode for Fiber‐Shaped Asymmetric Supercapacitors and Microbial Fuel Cells

A novel in situ N and low‐valence‐state Mo dual doping strategy was employed to significantly improve the conductivity, active‐site accessibility, and electrochemical stability of MoO₃, drastically boosting its electrochemical properties. Consequently, our optimized N‐MoO_3?x nanowires exhibited exceptional performances as a bifunctional anode material for both fiber‐shaped asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) and microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The flexible fiber‐shaped ASC and MFC device based on the N‐MoO_3?x anode could deliver an unprecedentedly high energy density of 2.29 mWh cm^?3 and a remarkable power density of 0.76 μW cm^?1, respectively. Such a bifunctional fiber‐shaped N‐MoO_3?x electrode opens the way to integrate the electricity generation and storage for self‐powered sources.     

稀土元素取代对Ti_(0.26)Zr_(0.07)V_(0.24)Mn_(0.1)Ni_(0.33)贮氢合金结构和电化学性能的影响

研究了5种稀土元素部分取代V对Ti0.26Zr0.07V0..24Mn0.1Ni0.33合金的微观结构和电化学性能的影响。结果表明,Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33和Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24-xMn0.1Ni0.33REx(x=0.005;RE=La,Ce,Nd,Ho,Y)均由体心立方结构的钒基固溶体相和六方结构的C14 Laves相组成。在合金中加入稀土元素,会使合金中两相的晶胞体积同时增大。稀土元素部分取代V均改善了合金电极的活化性能。La和Nd元素取代后,合金电极的最大放电容量明显增加,而Ce的取代提高了合金电极的循环稳定性。Ce,Nd,Ho,Y均改善了合金电极的倍率放电性能。合金电极在高温状态下表现出了良好的放电性能,其中Nd在333 K时放电容量可达550.4 mAh·g-1。稀土元素对荷电保持率的影响各异。     

稀土元素取代对Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33贮氢合金结构和电化学性能的影响

研究了5种稀土元素部分取代V对Ti_0.26Zr_0.07V_0..24Mn_0.1Ni_0.33合金的微观结构和电化学性能的影响。结果表明,Ti_0.26Zr_0.07V_0.24Mn_0.1Ni_0.33和Ti_0.26Zr_0.07V_0.24-xMn_0.1Ni_0.33RE_x（x=0.005;RE=La,Ce,Nd,Ho,Y）均由体心立方结构的钒基固溶体相和六方结构的C14Laves相组成。在合金中加入稀土元素,会使合金中两相的晶胞体积同时增大。稀土元素部分取代V均改善了合金电极的活化性能。La和Nd元素取代后,合金电极的最大放电容量明显增加,而Ce的取代提高了合金电极的循环稳定性。Ce,Nd,Ho,Y均改善了合金电极的倍率放电性能。合金电极在高温状态下表现出了良好的放电性能,其中Nd在333K时放电容量可达550.4mAh·g^-1。稀土元素对荷电保持率的影响各异。     

Molecular Solar Thermal Batteries through Combination of Magnetic Nanoparticle Catalysts and Tailored Norbornadiene Photoswitches

Cobalt catalysts are immobilized on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles for the preparation of highly active quasi-homogeneous catalysts toward an efficient release of photochemically stored energy in norbornadiene-based photoswitches. The facile separation of the iron oxide nanoparticles through exploitation of the intrinsic magnetic properties of this material enables efficient cyclization of energy storage and release. Through the transition from cobalt (II) salphen to cobalt porphyrins, a 22.6-fold increase in the catalytic efficiency of the QC-NBD back-conversion is achieved, with an initial TOF of up to 3.64 s⁻¹ and excellent TON of over 3305. In addition, a series of novel “push–pull” functionalized norbornadiene derivatives is prepared, featuring excellent absorption properties with maxima up to 366 nm, quantum yields around 70 %, high energy storage capacities of up to 98.0 kJ mol⁻¹, and outstanding thermal stability with t_1/2 (25 °C) over 100 days. Finally, the energy storage potential of these molecular solar thermal (MOST) systems is harnessed in a heat release experiment. This demonstrates the potential of norbornadiene-based photoswitches in combination with efficient magnetic catalysts for the generation of environmentally benign process heat.     

Gas electrodes with nickel based current collectors for molten carbonate electrolyte thermo-electrochemical cells

Thermo-electrochemical cells with inexpensive molten carbonate electrolyte and(CO_2|O_2) gas electrodes allow the possible conversion of high temperature waste heat from industrial processes into electricity.The cell containing eutectic(Li,Na)_2CO_3 electrolyte with solid Mg O dispersion delivers a large Seebeck coefficient of-1.7 m V/K. At present, the(CO_2|O_2) gas electrodes use metallic gold as current collectors in order to avoid the formation of interfering oxide layers during operation. For further reduction in energy generation cost, the gold current collectors should be replaced with an inexpensive and stable alternative.In this study, the suitability of the(molten carbonate fuel cell) MCFC's nickel-based cathodes to operate the molten-carbonate thermo-electrochemical cell, was investigated. Ni current collectors were examined in two different states, as Ni O and as lithiated Ni O(LixNi1-xO). The Ni O phase shows higher stability than the LixNi1-xO while the Seebeck coefficient remains above-1.2 m V/K.