Fuel cells for carbon capture applications

Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem; Maryam Abdullah Lootah; Enas Taha Sayed; Tabbi Wilberforce; Hussain Alawadhi; Bashria A A Yousef; A G Olabi

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144243

Fuel cells for carbon capture applications

Sci Total Environ. 2021 May 15:769:144243. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144243. Epub 2020 Dec 24.

Authors

Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem¹, Maryam Abdullah Lootah², Enas Taha Sayed³, Tabbi Wilberforce⁴, Hussain Alawadhi⁵, Bashria A A Yousef², A G Olabi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Dept. of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Center for Advanced Materials Research, Research Institute Of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Chemical Engineering Department, Minia University, Elminia, Egypt.
² Dept. of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
³ Center for Advanced Materials Research, Research Institute Of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Chemical Engineering Department, Minia University, Elminia, Egypt. Electronic address: e.kasem@mu.edu.eg.
⁴ Mechanical Engineering and Design, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK. Electronic address: t.awotwe@aston.ac.uk.
⁵ Center for Advanced Materials Research, Research Institute Of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Dept. of Applied Physics, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
⁶ Dept. of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Mechanical Engineering and Design, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK. Electronic address: aolabi@sharjah.ac.ae.

PMID: 33493911
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144243

Abstract

The harmful effect of carbon pollution leads to depletion of the ozone layer, which is one of the main challenges confronting the world. Although progress is made in developing different carbon dioxide (CO₂) capturing methods, these methods are still expensive and face several technical challenges. Fuel cells (FCs) are efficient energy converting devices that produce energy via an electrochemical process. Recently varying kinds of fuel cells are considered as an effective method for CO₂ capturing and/or conversion. Among the different types of fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), and microbial fuel cells (MFCs) demonstrated promising results in this regard. High-temperature fuel cells such as SOFCs and MCFCs are effectively used for CO₂ capturing through their electrolyte and have shown promising results in combination with power plants or industrial effluents. An algae-based microbial fuel cell is an electrochemical device used to capture and convert carbon dioxide through the photosynthesis process using algae strains to organic matters and simultaneously power generation. This review present a brief background about carbon capture and storage techniques and the technological advancement related to carbon dioxide captured by different fuel cells, including molten carbonate fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells, and algae-based fuel cells.

Keywords: Algae based microbial fuel cell; Carbon capture; Climate change; Fossil fuel; Fuel cells.