Molten carbonate fuel cells: a technological perspective and review

ABSTRACT

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are high-temperature fuel cells that operate with a variety of fuels with high efficiency that, in addition to power generation, can be used for capturing and concentrating CO₂. In the present review, the advances in the last 20 years of the key components of MCFCs are discussed: anode, cathode, support electrolytes, and electrolyte composition. The current state of the technology is such that it is routinely used for power generation in stationary power plant systems. The success of the technology is due to the high temperature of operation. The operating temperature is so high that it allows hydrocarbon fuel to be used without any external reforming system. MCFCs have several other important advantageous characteristics: can attain high-energy efficiencies, almost 60% in some cases, also when applied in a cogeneration context, and overall fuel efficiencies, accounting for electrical and thermal products, can exceed 80%. Despite significant progress in the past, some issues like component range of operating temperatures and power density needs to be overcome to meet the full expectations. Thus, a significant opportunity exists for new materials in this area. Some alternative materials and strategies to mitigate the issues are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Fuel cells
• molten carbonate fuel cell
• MCFC
• sodium carbonate
• green chemistry

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Raagini Sehgal for her technical assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ricardo R. Contreras

Ricardo R. Contreras is Doctor in Chemistry (Ph.D. Chem.), major field: Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry. Full Professor of Chemistry at Universidad de Los Andes (Merida-Venezuela). His research interests include inorganic chemistry, materials science, catalysis, bioinorganic chemistry and green chemistry. He is advisor of the research group of Ecological World for Life (EWL, Madrid-Spain) in greenhouse gases management and energy sources area. Dr. Contreras was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Merida (science, humanities and art research institution).

Jorge Almarza

Jorge Almarza is Dr. in Applied Chemistry Materials studies (Protein and Organometallic Chemistry). Los Andes University, Venezuela. His main interest involves the molecular study of the interaction of greenhouse gases with reactive solid matrices of low environmental and economic impact.

Luis Rincón

Luis Rincón received his Ph.D. (1995) in Chemistry at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (Caracas-Venezuela). Since 1995, he became professor of Chemistry at Universidad de Los Andes (Merida-Venezuela) and from 2015 he joined the Computational and Theoretical Chemistry Group at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Quito-Ecuador). Since 2018 he is advisor of the research group of Ecological World for Life (Madrid-Spain). His interests included theoretical and computational chemistry.