Effect of thermal decomposition products of coal on anodic reactions in direct carbon fuel cells

The effect of inherent volatile matter in fuels on anodic electrochemical reactions was investigated in a direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC). Through thermal decomposition, raw coals, which are used as power source in the DCFC system, release gases under an operating temperature of 700°C. These exhaust gases change the gas composition around the anode and affect the system’s electrochemical reaction. To investigate the effect of produced gases, a comparative study was conducted between Indonesian sub-bituminous coal and char obtained through thermal treatment. The open circuit voltage of raw coal increased to 0.23 V compared with that of char. The maximum power density of raw coal (52 mW/cm²) was also higher than that of char (37 mW/cm²) because of the enhanced electron transport caused by the additional reaction of hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. The influence of volatile matter on the anodic electrolyte-electrode interface was analyzed with the use of the equivalent circuit induced from fitting the impedance data.