Ash-free coal as fuel for direct carbon fuel cell

This work describes the performance of the direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) fuelled by ash-free coal. Employing coal in the DCFC might be problematic, mainly because of the ash deposition after the cell reactions. In the study, the carbonaceous ash-free component of coal is obtained, which is then evaluated as the DCFC fuel and compared with raw coal, active carbon, carbon black, and graphite. The electrolyte-supported SOFC structure is adapted to build the DCFC. The DCFC based on the ash-free coal fuel exhibits good performance with regard to the maximum power density, day-by-day measurements, and durability at continuous run. When the carbon fuels are internally gasified to H₂ and CO, the power density is generally much improved, compared to N₂ pyrolysis environment. The power generation is most likely related to the concentration of pyrolyzed gases as well as the electrochemical reactivity of the solid carbon.