Hydrogen, energy conversion fossil fuels

A molten carbonate fuel cell is an energy conversion device that converts chemical energy in fossil fuels into electricity. The operating temperature of an MCFC is 600 to 700°C.The principal anode reaction is the oxidation of hydrogen or carbon monoxide ... 

Alternatives to fossil fuels, such as hydrogen, are explored in Box 6.2 and Section 14.3. Coal, which is mostly carbon, can be converted into fuels with a lower proportion of carbon. Its conversion into methane, CH4, for instance, would reduce C02 emissions per unit of energy. We can also work with nature by accelerating the uptake of carbon by the natural processes of the carbon cycle. For example, one proposed solution is to pump C02 exhaust deep into the ocean, where it would dissolve to form carbonic acid and bicarbonate ions. Carbon dioxide can also be removed from power plant exhaust gases by passing the exhaust through an aqueous slurry of calcium silicate to produce harmless solid products ... 

In the end, both approaches require the calcination of limestone to lime. The energy penalty in this process is about 4.5-5 GJ/ton of C02, which amounts to a 30-40% energy penalty of a transportation sector that uses air extraction for managing its own C02 emissions. This is comparable to the energy penalty incurred in the conversion of fossil fuels into hydrogen as a transportation fuel (Zeman and Lackner, 2004). 

The scope of this chapter is to present a concise and fundamental overview of the relationship between modem catalysis and chemical reaction engineering through one of the topics that will certainly be present among the future directions in both fields production of hydrogen fuel from fossil and renewable energy sources and its use in the fuel cells-based energy conversion technology. 

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