Performance and Durability of the Molten Carbonate Electrolysis Cell and the Reversible Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

The molten carbonate electrolysis cell (MCEC) provides the opportunity for producing fuel gases, e.g., hydrogen or syngas, in an environmentally friendly way, especially when in combination with renewable electricity resources such as solar, wind, and/or hydropower. The evaluation of the performance and durability of the molten carbonate cell is a key for developing the electrolysis technology. In this study, we report that the electrochemical performance of the cell and electrodes somewhat decreases during the long-term test of the MCEC. The degradation is not permanent, though, and the cell performance could be partially recovered. Since conventional fuel cell materials consisting of nickel-based porous catalysts and carbonate electrolyte are used in the MCEC durability test, it is also shown that the cell can alternatingly operate as an electrolysis cell for fuel gas production and as a fuel cell for electricity generation, i.e., as a so-called reversible molten carbonate fuel cell (RMCFC). This study reveals that the cell performance improves after a long period of RMCFC operation. The stability and durability of the cell in long-term tests evidence the feasibility of the electrolysis and reversible operations in carbonate melts using a conventional fuel cell setup, at least in lab scale.