Fuel Cell Reactors for the Clean Cogeneration of Electrical Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

Fengzhan Si; Subiao Liu; Yue Liang; Xian-Zhu Fu; Jiujun Zhang; Jing-Li Luo

doi:10.1007/s41918-022-00168-0

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2022, Vol. 5 ›› Issue (Suppl 2) DOI: 10.1007/s41918-022-00168-0

Review Article

Fuel Cell Reactors for the Clean Cogeneration of Electrical Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

Author information +

¹College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

²School of Resource Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, 410083, Changsha, Hunan, China

³Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, 200444, Shanghai, China

^d xz.fu@szu.edu.cn

^f luoj@ualberta.ca

Fengzhan Si

is currently an associate professor at the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, China. She received her PhD degree in Physical Chemistry from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of Prof. Wei Xing in 2014. Then she joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina in the USA as a postdoctoral research fellow. Her research interests include electrocatalysis and fuel cell reactors.

Subiao Liu

received his PhD degree in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada. His main research interests focus on the developments of the next-generation energy conversion and storage devices, with an emphasis on exploring the intrinsic mechanisms of highly active electrocatalysts based on the density functional theory and designing multifunctional and easy-to-fabricate devices for electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion at room and elevated temperatures, oxygen evolution/reduction reaction and ethane dehydrogenation to cogenerate ethylene and electrical power.

Xian-Zhu Fu

is a Professor in the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University. He received his PhD degree in Chemistry from Xiamen University in 2007. Then he joined the Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta in Canada as a postdoctoral research fellow and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab as a visiting scholar. From 2012 to 2017, he worked at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research interests focus on electrochemistry/electrocatalysts for energy materials and devices, electronic materials and processes.

Jiujun Zhang

is a Professor at Shanghai University. He is a Principal Research Officer (Emeritus) and Technical Core Competency Leader at the National Research Council of Canada Energy (NRC). Dr. Zhang received his PhD degree in electrochemistry from Wuhan University in 1988 and carried out postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology, York University, and the University of British Columbia. Dr. Zhang has over 30 years of scientific research experience, particularly in the area of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia and the University of Waterloo.

Jing-Li Luo

is a Distinguished Professor at Shenzhen University, China, Emeritus Professor at the University of Alberta, and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. She obtained her PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering from McMaster University, Canada in 1992. She served as Canadian Research Chair in Alternative Fuel Cells from 2004 to 2015. Her research focuses on fuel cells, energy storage research, clean energy technology, and corrosion control.

Show less

History +

PDF

Abstract

Fuel cell reactors can be tailored to simultaneously cogenerate value-added chemicals and electrical energy while releasing negligible CO₂ emissions or other pollution; moreover, some of these reactors can even “breathe in” poisonous gas as feedstock. Such clean cogeneration favorably offsets the fast depletion of fossil fuel resources and eases growing environmental concerns. These unique reactors inherit advantages from fuel cells: a high energy conversion efficiency and high selectivity. Compared with similar energy conversion devices with sandwich structures, fuel cell reactors have successfully “hit three birds with one stone” by generating power, producing chemicals, and maintaining eco-friendliness. In this review, we provide a systematic summary on the state of the art regarding fuel cell reactors and key components, as well as the typical cogeneration reactions accomplished in these reactors. Most strategies fall short in reaching a win–win situation that meets production demand while concurrently addressing environmental issues. The use of fuel cells (FCs) as reactors to simultaneously produce value-added chemicals and electrical power without environmental pollution has emerged as a promising direction. The FC reactor has been well recognized due to its “one stone hitting three birds” merit, namely, efficient chemical production, electrical power generation, and environmental friendliness. Fuel cell reactors for cogeneration provide multidisciplinary perspectives on clean chemical production, effective energy utilization, and even pollutant treatment, with far-reaching implications for the wider scientific community and society. The scope of this review focuses on unique reactors that can convert low-value reactants and/or industrial wastes to value-added chemicals while simultaneously cogenerating electrical power in an environmentally friendly manner.

Graphical Abstract

A schematic diagram for the concept of fuel cell reactors for cogeneration of electrical energy and value-added chemicals

Cite this article

Download citation ▾

Fengzhan Si, Subiao Liu, Yue Liang, Xian-Zhu Fu, Jiujun Zhang, Jing-Li Luo. Fuel Cell Reactors for the Clean Cogeneration of Electrical Energy and Value-Added Chemicals. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2022, 5(Suppl 2): DOI:10.1007/s41918-022-00168-0