Effect of the Impurities in Bioethanol on Current Density of a Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell

Abstract

The degradation of current density by impurities in bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass for use in a direct ethanol fuel cell was evaluated. The degradation experiment of using a single cell was conducted by adding nine impurities, i.e., methanol, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, 1-propanol, allyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, 3-methyl-1-butanol, acetal (acetaldehyde diethyl acetal), and benzaldehyde, to a 2 M ethanol aqueous solution. The current density of the single cell was degraded by the quasi bioethanol including the nine impurities. To clarify the principal poisoning impurity, we performed the cell measurement by only adding each single impurity. As a result, allyl alcohol turned out to be the main catalyst poison under the estimated condition. The negative effects by the other impurities were almost negligible.