A high-power carbohydrate fuel cell

Ragnar Larsson, Börje Folkesson, Placido M. Spaziante, Waret Veerasai and Robert H.B. Exell

Renewable Energy, 2006, vol. 31, issue 4, 549-552

Abstract: This paper reports the development of a fuel cell consisting of a vanadium flow battery in which the vanadium ions are reduced by sugar (from a carbohydrate) to oxidation state +3 on one side of a membrane, and are oxidized to state +5 on the other side by oxygen. The theoretical upper limit to the conversion efficiency of the energy in sugar by this method under standard conditions is 54%. We have obtained efficiencies up to 45% in our laboratory tests. This way of using biomass for electricity production avoids the Carnot cycle losses in heat engines.

Keywords: Biomass conversion; Fuel cell; Flow battery; Carbohydrate; Sugar; Vanadium (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:31:y:2006:i:4:p:549-552

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2005.04.006

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