Direct Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell to Converting Methane into Methanol

Abstract

Methane is the main constituent of natural gas and can be converted in higher value‐added products for electricity cogeneration. It could be used as a solid membrane reactor (SMR) for application in Alkaline Anion‐Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (AAEMFC). The investigation for the conversion of methane was based on sodium borohydride (NaBH4) method using Pt/C Basf, Pd/C, Ni/C as catalysts. The electrocatalysts were prepared with 20 wt% of metals loading on carbon. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a face‐centered cubic structure (FCC) for Pt/C and Pd/C catalysts, was observed Ni/NiO phases for Ni/C electrocatalyst. The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) exhibited a good dispersion of nanoparticles and some agglomerations on the support, with a mean size of 6.4 nm for Pd/C, 5.7 nm for Ni/C and near to 2 nm size for Pt/C. The experiments with AAEMFC showed that all materials can carry out the reaction spontaneously. Pt/C catalyst presents energy density higher than the other materials. FTIR data suggest that methane was converted into small products organic molecules such as methanol and formate in different potentials for Pt/C, Pd/C, and Ni/C. The products were quantified by Raman spectroscopy. The high conversion efficiency obtained was about 20% at 0.3 V using Pt/C catalyst, the maximum conversion over Pd/C was 17.5% at 0.15 V, associated with the formation of a thin layer of PdO on the catalytic surface. The highest conversion rate (13%) was observed in closed circuit potentials to the short circuit in the cell with Ni/C catalyst. The results suggest that for the selective conversion of methane to methanol are most promising using materials containing Pt or Pd.

Photoelectrochemical Conversion of Methane into Value-Added Products

“…It is very difficult to obtain a high product yield during methane oxidation in a conventional electrocatalytic system, because of the extremely low solubility of methane (<22.7 mg•L −1 ) in acidic, neutral, and basic aqueous media. However, Santos et al [39] successfully oxidized methane to methanol in an alkaline anion-exchange membrane fuel cell using a Pt/C electrocatalyst. The high yield of methanol was attributed to the low availability of protons near the electrode-electrolyte interface in the basic medium, which facilitated methane oxidation.…”

Improvement the hydroxide conductivity and alkaline stability simultaneously of anion exchange membranes by changing quaternary ammonium and imidazole contents

“…With the development of society, human demand for energy increases rapidly while paying more attention to environmental protection, so it is urgent to develop new clean, efficient and reliable energy. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Now a variety of new energy such as wind, tidal energy, solar energy was more into people's lives. Among them, fuel cells are regarded as one of the most promising new energy sources today because of they have a high energy conversion rate, fast load response and environmental protection.…”

Oxidação eletroquímica do etanol e glicerol em eletrólito alcalino utilizando eletrocatalisadores PdTiO>sub<2>/sub</C preparados via redução por borohidreto de sódio

“…As interferogramas com média de 2000 cm -1 a 800 cm -1 e a resolução espectral foi definida para 8 cm -1 [177,178]. Fonte: Própria autora.…”