The project aims to investigate the feasibility of coal-air fuel cells for efficient chemical to electrical energy conversion and of technologies for utilising CO2 produced at such fuel cell anodes.
The fuel cells will have molten metal anodes to contact coal/ carbon fuels: effects of impurities on fuel cell performance will be determined. Anode kinetics and other design parameters of the fuel cell will be defined based on experimental results, and a mathematical model will be developed using those data.
Utilisation of neat CO2 producedby such fuel cells will be investigated, e.g. by coupling coal-air fuel cells with electrolytic reactors to reduce CO2 to fuels with renewable energy. Design parameters such as material properties and effect of impurities will be defined.