Project abstract

Main focus of the overall project is to develop an environmentally friendly and highly efficient process for the direct utilization of solid carbonaceous materials of low added value (such as biomass) and of particular importance for the Mediterranean region (agricultural residues from olive and grape vines cultures, like olive kernels and pruning from grape vine) in a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) to generate electricity. Aim is to develop a new single-stage process and to deliver a prototype reactor with integrated pyrolysis/solid oxid fuel cell:

To overcome the anodic kinetic restrictions derived from the limited contact between solid carbon and electrolyte/solid anode, a novel approach is proposed based on the in situ catalytic gasification of biomass to gaseous products and their consequent electro-oxidation at the anode surface. The latter can be accomplished by the incorporation of specific catalyst compositions into the biomass fuel in conjunction to the employment of appropriate gasifying agents (e.g. H2O and CO2). This approach enables the in situ gasification of biomass through dry/steam reforming processes to easily diffused and electro-oxidized gaseous combustible products (mainly CO, H2 and CH4). In this regard, the proposed project offers new opportunities for the simultaneous utilization of gaseous (e.g. CO2) and solid (e.g. biomass) carbonaceous compounds towards electricity production.

Our role role in the project is:

• Synthesis of electrodes (LSM and LSCF mixed ionically/electronically conducting perovskite-type oxides)
• DB-SOFC construction/ Single-cell fabrication/ DB-SOFC apparatus assembly