Critical Review of Carbon Conversion in "Carbon Fuel Cells"

Conversion of carbonaceous solid fuels in carbon fuel cells (CFC) especially those that operated at moderately elevated temperatures is of great interest as concerns about the need for efficient and sustainable energy technologies and clean environment grow in importance on the global agenda. The quest for carbon conversion in fuel cells is not new and has been pursued intermittently for nearly 150 years. Recent interest and research activity in this area is fueled in part by concerns over energy and environment but, more importantly, by the realization that CFCs potentially offer two critically important advantages, namely, significantly higher conversion efficiencies and concentrated CO2 product streams. High efficiencies and low emissions are imperative for sustainability. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy stored in the bonds of fuels into electrical energy. Electrochemical conversion offers inherently higher efficiency than is possible by chemical conversion into electrical energy.