Fuel Cells Using Organic Liquids as Fuels

11 FUEL CELLS USING ORGANIC LIQUIDS AS FUELS 

It is quite natural that all these considerations have led to enhanced interest in the uses of ethanol in fuel cells. A lot of research went into the development of direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) during the last decade. Much of the research in this direction was performed in France in the group of Claude Lamy (see the review of Lamy et al., 2002). 

The reactions that occur ideally in an ethanol-oxygen fuel cell, and the associated thermodynamic parameters, are as follows  

Cathode 6O2 -h 12H+ -h 12e 6H2O Overall C2H5OH -h 3O2 2CO2 -h 3H2O 

On the basis of these results, it is assumed by a number of workers that it will be possible to replace methanol with ethanol in membrane-type fuel cells working with liquid fuels. There is, however, a basic point that casts doubt on this conclusion. 

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