The Effect of Carbon Fuel Properties and Pyrolysis Conditions on the Electrochemical Performance of Direct Carbon Fuel Cell - A Review

Direct carbon fuel cell offers an efficient alternative to conventional combustion system for electricity generation. The most attractive feature is its remarkably high overall system efficiency. However, the implementation of this technique is restricted by the limited solid-solid contact between the carbon fuel and electrode. This reviews discusses a sets of chemical and physical properties of the carbon fuel that contribute to the electrochemical performance of the fuel cell. These properties include chemical composition, surface functional groups, graphitic structure and textural properties. Meanwhile, biomass can be employed as a sustainable carbon fuel source after undergoing pyrolysis, a thermal pretreatment process. It is essential to control the pyrolysis operating conditions such as the temperature, heating rate and residence time as these conditions would affect the chemical and physical properties of the carbon fuel, ultimately contributing to the electrochemical performance of the fuel cell.