Direct Carbon Fuel Cell

A direct carbon fuel cell, or DCFC, is an electrochemical device that converts a carbon-rich fuel such as biomass or coal directly into electrical energy, through a reaction in which carbon combines with oxygen and releases carbon dioxide as its byproduct. Although a DCFC still emits carbon dioxide, it is considered more environmentally favorable than ordinary combustion because it reaches higher efficiency and needs less carbon to produce the same amount of energy, and because its exhaust is essentially pure carbon dioxide rather than a mixed combustion exhaust stream, capturing and storing it is considerably cheaper than treating a conventional power plant's emissions. Researchers have developed at least four distinct DCFC designs, built respectively around solid oxide fuel cells, molten hydroxides, molten carbonates and molten tin anodes, and the fuel itself can take the form of coal, coke, char or non-fossilized carbon sources.