Electrochemical performance of locust bean waste and coal in a molten carbonate direct carbon fuel cell

Abstract

The Electrochemical Performance of Locust bean waste (LBW) and coal was investigated as solid fuels in Molten Carbonate Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (MCDCFC) within an operating temperature range of 500–800 °C using five different resistor loads (1 Ω, 2 Ω, 3 Ω, 4 Ω & 5 Ω). The elemental analysis identified high carbon and low sulfur in char samples obtained from Coal, LBW, and the combination (LBW & Coal at a ratio of 1:2). The XRD investigation showed that the char samples are characterized by crystalline and disordered structures for Coal and LBW respectively. When subjected to a temperature of 800 °C and a resistance of 1 Ω, the combined fuel (LBW & Coal) exhibited an open circuit voltage of 1.16 V, a current density of 43.2 mA/cm², and a power density of 2.91 mW/cm², achieving an efficiency of 73 %. When analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the composite revealed superior qualities attributed to the presence of fine particles. The phase composition of each fuel was evaluated through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The peak for the LBW, Coal, and the combined fuel was identified at angles of 25.988°, 26.24°, and 26.637° respectively, with corresponding inter-planar spacings of 3.42 Å for LBW fuel and 3.34 Å for coal and the other fuel.