Solid Carbon Fuel Research Articles

Recent Progress on the Materials of Oxygen Ion-Conducting Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Experimental Analysis of Biogas-Assisted Electrolysis over a LSC Anode

In this work, the recent achievements in the application of solid oxides fuel cells (SOFCs) are discussed. This paper summarizes the progress in two major topics: the materials for the electrolytes, anode, and cathode, and the fuels used, such as hydrocarbon, alcohol, and solid carbon fuels. Various aspects related to the development of new materials for the main components of the materials for electrocatalysts and for solid electrolytes (e.g., pure metals, metal alloys, high entropy oxides, cermets, perovskite oxides, Ruddlesden–Popper phase materials, scandia-stabilized-zirconia, perovskite oxides, and ceria-based solid electrolytes) are reported in a coherent and explanatory way. The selection of appropriate material for electrocatalysts and for solid electrolyte is crucial to achieve successful commercialization of the SOFC technology, since enhanced efficiency and increased life span is desirable. Based on the recent advancements, tests were conducted in a biogas-fueled Ni-YSZ/YSZ/GDC/LSC commercial cell, to elucidate the suitability of the LSC as an anode. Results obtained encourage the application of LSC as an anode in actual SOFC and SOFEC systems. Thus, H2-SOFC demonstrated a satisfying ASR value, while, for biogas-assisted electrolysis, the current values slightly increased compared to the methane-SOFEC, and for a 50/50 biogas mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, the corresponding value presented the higher increase.

Mechanistic study of chemical looping reactions between solid carbon fuels and CuO

Copper (Cu) based chemical-looping combustion (CLC) is a promising process that utilizes solid carbon fuel such as coal and biomass. Understanding the reaction kinetics in this process can facilitate the industrial design of CLC units. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate the reaction kinetics of n-butane and two simplified solid carbon fuels (lignite and anthracite) with/without copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticle. In addition, experiments were conducted on the thermal characteristics, flammability, and flame speeds of CuO and solid carbon mixtures.For n-butane, oxidation on the CuO surface is the primary reaction since the activation energy of the surface reaction is much lower than that of oxygen (O2) combustion (9.2 vs. 53.3 kcal/mol). On the other hand, for lignite, there is a smaller difference in the activation energy of O2 combustion and surface reaction (23.04 vs. 6.34 kcal/mol). We hypothesize that some solid carbon fuels can have different reaction kinetics dependent upon temperature. This is proven by the case of a simplified anthracite coal: an Arrhenius plot shows that this solid carbon fuel has two different reaction kinetic regimes and the critical temperature for the change in kinetics is related to the oxygen uncoupling of the CuO nanoparticle. Like the modeling simulations, a change in activation energy is observed in the experimental results, where desorption of molecular oxygen from CuO becomes important.

Cycling Characteristics of Tubular Liquid Antimony Anode Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Prepared by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying

Liquid antimony anode solid oxide fuel cell (LAA-SOFC) is a promising technology for efficient conversion of solid carbon and hydrocarbon fuels. However, the operating process and the regeneration method of the fuel cells with LAAs are different from those with solid anodes and still need to be investigated. In the present research, a tubular LAA-SOFC unit was fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying based on a stainless-steel support. The LAA-SOFC was cycled by a furnace control method and a “hot plug” method to simulate the normal start-stop and the anode/cell replacement processes, respectively. Scarce degradation was observed after the cycles with phase change, redox and temperature variation, which demonstrated the robustness of the sprayed electrolyte to the anode changes. The air leakage and the floating ash retarded the recovery rate of the “hot plug” cycles, but have no influence on the degradation degree. The cycling characteristics in the present research proved the long-term operating feasibility of SOFC with LAA.

Cycling Characteristics of Tubular Liquid Antimony Anode Direct Carbon Fuel Cells Prepared by Atmospheric Plasma Spray

Liquid antimony anode direct carbon fuel cell (LAA-DCFC) is a promising technology for efficient conversion of solid carbon fuels. However, the operating process and the regeneration method of the fuel cells with LAAs are different from those with solid anodes and still need to be researched. In the present research, the tubular LAA-DCFC units were fabricated based on stainless steel support by atmospheric plasma spray (APS) technology. The LAA-DCFCs were cycled by furnace control method and “hot plug” method to simulate the normal start-stop and the anode regeneration processes, respectively. No degradation was observed after five temperature cycles of furnace control test, which showed that the phase change process of the LAA has no influence on the sprayed electrolyte and cathode. During the “hot plug” test, the tubular cell was measured in Ar atmosphere and was removed from and put back into the LAA at a speed of 20 mm min-1 and 50℃ min-1. The cell performance recovered once the cell was put back and a degradation of 0.1% cycle-1 was observed. Considering the low frequency of anode regeneration, the degradation rate is relatively acceptable. The environmental air leakage and the floating ash retarded the recovery rate, but have no influence on the degradation degree. The cycling characteristics in the present research proved the long-term operating feasibility of DCFC with LAA.

Cycling Characteristics of Tubular Liquid Antimony Anode Direct Carbon Fuel Cells Prepared by Atmospheric Plasma Spray

Liquid antimony anode solid oxide fuel cell (LAA-SOFC) is a promising technology for efficient conversion of solid carbon and hydrocarbon fuels. However, the operating process and the regeneration method of the fuel cells with LAAs are different from those with solid anodes and still need to be investigated. In the present research, a tubular LAA-SOFC unit was fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying based on a stainless-steel support. The LAA-SOFC was cycled by a furnace control method and a “hot plug” method to simulate the normal start-stop and the anode/cell replacement processes, respectively. Scarce degradation was observed after the cycles with phase change, redox, and temperature variation, which demonstrated the robustness of the sprayed electrolyte to the anode changes. The air leakage and the floating ash retarded the recovery rate of the “hot plug” cycles, but have no influence on the degradation degree. The cycling characteristics in the present research proved the long-term operating feasibility of SOFC with LAA.

In-situ catalytic gasification of kelp-derived biochar as a fuel for direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells

Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (DC-SOFC) is a larruping type of fuel cell due to its all-solid-state structure, which can generate electricity from converting the chemical energy contained in solid carbon fuels directly into electrical energy. As the most abundant carbon storage base on earth, besides commercial carbon, coal or the common biomass carbon fuels, the exploitation of marine biomass as an alternative fuel for DC-SOFC is a very intriguing topic. In order to make efficient utilization of biomass carbon obtained from the ocean, a high performing direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell fuelled by kelp biochar is demonstrated. As comparison, the performances of DC-SOFCs with activated carbon and catalyst-loaded activated carbon fuels are also investigated. Thereinto, the best performance of 285 mW cm−2 at 850 °C is achieved in a DC-SOFC using kelp biochar fuel with Ag-Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-δ /YSZ/ Ag-Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-δ configuration. This study will provide promising utilization of alternative biomass in DC-SOFCs and broaden their available carbon scope.

Liquid Antimony Anode for Converting Sulfur-Containing Coal in Direct Carbon Fuel Cells

Liquid antimony anodes (LAAs) are carbon-converting anodes for direct carbon fuel cells (DCFCs), and they have been intensively studied over the last decade because of their decent performance. Though several previous researches have demonstrated the capability of LAAs in carbon oxidation, reaction mechanisms between the LAA and the impurities in the solid carbon fuels, e.g., sulfur, remains largely unknown. In the present research, H2S and pyrite were introduced into the anode, respectively, as the sources of sulfur. The fuel cell was first discharged under 1000 ppm of H2S continuously for over 10 h. At the same time, we used mass spectrometer (MS) to monitor the composition of its flue gas. The performance of the cell remained mostly unchanged under the H2S atmosphere throughout the test, and the lower sulfur concentration in the off-gas stream suggested that the LAA trapped most of the sulfur within itself. In the case of pyrite, the performance of the cell remained stable during the 20-h test, despite the relatively large amount of sulfur fed into the system. The experimental results demonstrated that the LAA is resistive against the sulfur poisoning and able to handle fuels with a high level of sulfur content.

A steel slag–derived Boudouard reaction catalyst for improved performance of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can directly utilize solid carbon as fuel by integrating with the reverse Boudouard reaction in the anode chamber. Efficiency of the Boudouard gasification of solid carbon fuel is one of the crucial factors influencing the performance of direct carbon SOFCs (DC-SOFCs). In this paper, a novel Boudouard reaction catalyst derived from steel slag was first introduced into DC-SOFCs for improving the electrochemical performance. The catalytic activity of the steel slag was activated using the molten alkali method to decompose the inert mineral phases of the raw material. The steel slag–derived catalyst was loaded on the activated charcoal by a wet ball milling method. This kind of catalyst can match up to the readily available solid carbon fuels in cost. Promoted by this highly active Boudouard reaction catalyst, the initial Boudouard gasification temperature of the carbon fuel decreased by 99°C, and the producing rate of carbon monoxide doubled. Furthermore, the power outputs of the fuel cells increased from 91 to 159 mW cm, and the fuel utilization increased from 17.10% to 46.43% at 825°C. This study demonstrates that the steel slag–derived catalyst is a promising material for the performance improvement of DC-SOFCs and may make a valuable contribution to their commercial application.

Plasma-spray derived, corrosion-resistive electrolyte for liquid antimony anode direct carbon fuel cell

Direct carbon fuel cells (DCFC) that employ solid oxide electrolytes and liquid antimony (Sb) anodes are efficient electrochemical cells for converting various types of solid carbon fuels directly into power. Though the liquid Sb anode exhibits decent performance, electrolyte corrosion by molten Sb2O3 during fuel cell operation has long been an issue. The present study investigates the behavior of scandia stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) electrolytes fabricated through different approaches in liquid antimony anode DCFCs. As for conventional sintered ScSZ electrolyte, we observed severe electrolyte corrosion by molten Sb2O3, which agrees with previous reports. In contrast, corrosion or thinning by the oxide was not detected in ScSZ electrolyte prepared with atmospheric plasma spray (APS) technology. Both electrochemical testing and microscopic characterization results suggest that plasma spray is a promising method to prepare robust electrolytes for liquid antimony anode based DCFCs.

Metal Oxides As Additives to Improve Anode Performance in Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC)

In molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC), oxidation of solid carbon fuels takes place at extended three-phase boundary (TPB) as molten carbonate electrolyte enhances the reaction interface in the anode compartment of the cell and facilitates diffusion of reactants. It also acts as an electrochemical mediator in oxidising carbon or carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. Several studies have already been conducted to improve electrolyte’s performance in anode by either changing its composition or adding additives, i.e. metal oxides. Electrolyte composition effect, in terms of using different metal carbonates and their quantity in the mixture, on the performance of MCFC has been extensively investigated in the literature. However, comparing different additives effect on the overall performance of a cell using available data in the literature is not viable. This is because of lack of consistency in previous studies’ experimental conditions and specifically in anode composition. Also, there is not an agreement on mechanism that metal oxides improve the performance of MCFCs. In the current study, two different percentages (5 and 10 wt%) of SnO2, CeO2, Fe2O3, and Mn2O3 were used as additives to electrolyte and fuel mixture of the anode. Performances of the full cell with different additives were evaluated in the same conditions using polarisation (IV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests. In addition, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were performed on anode slurry samples to further investigate details of the interactions between the anode electrolyte components. Based on the results, we provide a clear comparison on the effectiveness of these metal oxides in improving the cell performance and also suggest a mechanism that metal oxides enhance performance of anode in molten carbonate fuel cells.

Electrochemical study of composite materials for coal-based direct carbon fuel cell

The efficient conversion of solid carbon fuels into energy by reducing the emission of harmful gases is important for clean environment. In this regards, direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) is a system that converts solid carbon directly into electrical energy with high thermodynamic efficiency (100%), system efficiency of 80% and half emission of gases compared to conventional coal power plants. This can generate electricity from any carbonaceous fuel such as charcoal, carbon black, carbon fiber, graphite, lignite, bituminous coal and waste materials. In this paper, ternary carbonate-samarium doped ceria (LNK-SDC) electrolyte has been synthesized via co-precipitation technique, while LiNiCuZnFeO (LNCZFO) electrode has been prepared using solid state reaction method. Due to significant ionic conductivity of electrolyte LNK-SDC, it is used in DCFC. Three types of solid carbon (lignite, bituminous, sub-bituminous) are used as fuel to generate power. The X-ray diffraction confirmed the cubic crystalline structure of samarium doped ceria, whereas XRD pattern of LNCZFO showed its composite structure.The proximate and ultimate coal analysis showed that fuel (carbon) with higher carbon content and lower ash content was promising fuel for DCFC. The measured ionic conductivity of LNK-SDC is 0.0998 Scm−1 and electronic conductivity of LNCZFO is 10.1 Scm−1 at 700 °C, respectively. A maximum power density of 58 mWcm−2 is obtained using sub-bituminous fuel.

Evaluation of Sc2O3–CeO2–ZrO2 electrolyte-based tubular fuel cells using activated charcoal and hydrogen fuels

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), as energy conversion devices, can use a variety of gaseous (hydrogen, methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide) and solid carbon fuels derived from coal and biomass. A critical component of SOFCs is the oxygen-ion conducting electrolyte material. Yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) is a state-of-the-art electrolyte material often used in SOFCs; it has excellent stability in both reducing and oxidising atmospheres, good mechanical strength and compatibility with electrodes. However, YSZ electrolyte has low ionic conductivity, which leads to high voltage losses in electrolyte-supported SOFCs. Scandia-stabilised zirconia has much higher conductivity, but the phase assemblage is complex, with many phases having detrimental effect on the conductivity. Additions of a small quantity of dopants, such as ceria, appear to stabilise the cubic structure. In this work, we investigate the electrochemical performance of ceria-stabilised scandia–zirconia electrolyte supported tubular fuel cells using hydrogen fuel, and directly compare its electrochemical performance with YSZ-electrolyte supported cells using Ce0.9Gd0.1O2–Ag composite electrodes for both types of cells. The electrolyte conductivity and phase assemblage of ceria stabilised scandia-zirconia have been investigated. We also analysed the electrochemical performance of a tubular cell using activated charcoal as a fuel, and nitrogen and carbon dioxide as purge gases. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to investigate rate-limiting processes and other factors affecting the fuel oxidation reaction.

Performance enhancement of liquid antimony anode fuel cell by in-situ electrochemical assisted oxidation process

Liquid Sb anode has been intensively studied for its capability to convert various solid carbon fuels into electricity. Performance of anode is one of the most important issues. In present research, performance of liquid Sb anode SOFC is promoted by an “assisted oxidation process”: fuel cell achieved larger current by electrochemically introducing extra amount of Sb2O3 into the anode region. By revealing the interfacial structure between anode and electrolyte, the mechanism of performance promotion is then explained by numerical model from a microstructural point of view: the oxidation process built ionic transporting pathways and extended the electrochemical reactive sites in liquid Sb anode. With the help of extended electrochemical reactive sites, the fuel cell reaches a better performance. The “assisted oxidation process” can be taken as an in-situ method to refine the structure of liquid Sb anode.

Performance Evaluation of Solid Oxide Carbon Fuel Cells Operating on Steam Gasified Carbon Fuels

We investigated the operating characteristics of solid oxide carbon fuel cells (SO-CFCs) integrated with a steam gasifier that used carbonaceous fuels, including activated carbon and biomass driven charcoal. Steam gasification was carried out in a specially designed gasifier, which was directly integrated with a solid-oxide based carbon fuel cell. We studied the effect of gasification temperature, steam flow rate and catalyst addition on the electrochemical performance of SO-CFC, and the results showed that among the three tested fuels, activated carbon with a K2CO3 catalyst performed the best. At 850°C, the maximum power density 108mW/cm2, 161mW/cm2 and 181mW/cm2 was achieved when the SO-CFC operated on activated carbon, biomass driven charcoal and activated carbon with a K2CO3 catalyst, respectively. The SO-CFC operated continuously for 100h and it showed relatively stable performance. This study suggests that by using a catalytic steam gasifier integrated with the SO-CFC, the solid carbon fuel resources can be used for power generation with higher efficiency and minimal carbon footprint.

직접탄소 연료전지에서 고체 탄소 연료에 따른 전기화학 임피던스 비교 연구

직접탄소 연료전지에서 고체 탄소 연료에 따른 전기화학 임피던스 비교 연구

Electrochemical impedance characterization on catalytic carbon gasification reaction process

The dielectric characteristics of the solid fuels have close relation with gasification process. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), is applied for measuring the dielectric characteristics of solid carbon fuels in catalytic and non-catalytic gasification systems. Compared with kinetic experiments at different gasification temperatures (775, 800 and 825°C) for both catalytic and non-catalytic gasification, EIS spectra is proved to be an effective method to characterize the carbon gasification reaction characteristics in situ with high sensitivity, especially at low carbon conversion ratio. An elementary reaction model for potassium catalyzed carbon gasification combined with a dielectric mixture equation for the simulation of complex permittivity is developed. The modeling results agree well with the experimental data. The dielectric property of catalyzed solid carbon fuels provided by EIS reveals that the polarization intensity contains effective information of gas adsorption and heterogeneous chemical reaction. EIS can possibly be applied as a new methodology in investigating the catalytic carbon gasification reaction and transport processes.

Influence of Reactions of Carbon Black and Fuel Diffusion Process on Power Generation Characteristics of Rechargeable Solid Carbon Fuel Cells(RSCFCs)

Rechargeable Solid Carbon Fuel Cells (RSCFCs) that use directly supplied carbon black (CB) as fuel were developed. The influence of the CO supply rate depended on the CO generation rate and the CO diffusion rate on the power generation was investigated. High power density was achieved by using a larger specific surface area CB fuel due to the increase in CO generation rate. Two types of cell setting were evaluated, horizontal and vertical setting. With horizontal cell setting, densely supplied CB enhanced the power density because the increase in the CO generation rate was greater than the decrease in CO diffusion rate due to the increase of CB surface area per unit column volume. However, CB supply density should decrease during the power generation due to the CB consumption by Boudouard corrosion reaction. In contrast, with the vertical cell setting, CB supply density must be almost constant because CB maintains contact with the anode surface by its own weight. Moreover, the performance of RSCFC was improved by using anode with high porosity. With 27 % porous anode, the maximum power density (PMax ) was 24.1 mW/cm2 at 50 mA/cm2, and with 33 % porous anode, the PMax was 34.6 mW/cm2 at 70 mA/cm2. The total TPB (Triple Phase Boundary) length in anode might be decreased with increasing porosity of anode, but the power density of RSCFC with CB fuel was increased.

Influence of Reactions of Carbon Black and Fuel Diffusion Process on Power Generation Characteristics of Rechargeable Solid Carbon Fuel Cells(RSCFCs)

INTRODUCTION Our research group proposed a Rechargeable Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (RDCFC) based on SOFCs, in which carbon is deposited in the pores of the anode by charging hydrocarbons [1]. A issue in RDCFCs is low utilization caused by low amount of deposited carbon. For higher fuel utilization, we also proposed a Rechargeable Solid Carbon Fuel Cell (RSCFC), in which solid state carbon black (CB) is directly supplied as fuel. In RSCFCs, the dominant electrochemical reaction apparently is CO oxidation reaction[2] [3] because CB is difficult supplied close to TPB (Triple Phase Boundary), and CO was generated by Boudouard corrosion reaction (C+CO2→2CO). In an earlier study, we reported that improvement in the maximum power density PMax of RSCFCs depends on the amount of CB. In RSCFCs, high power density P with high fuel utilization U is achieved at the steady state current density i0, which is reached when the CO supply rate rsup (includes the CO generation reaction rate rCO, and both CO and CO2 diffusion rates rD(CO), rD(CO 2 ) in the anode is comparable to the electrochemical reaction rate re (CO + O2- → CO2 + 2e-). The introduction of carbon black into pores made the direct carbon oxidation (C + 2O2- → CO2 + 4e-, C + O2- → CO + 2e-) enhanced and improved the power density.In this study, we (a) analyzed mass transport in CB supply column using gas diffusion theory, (b) investigated the influence of CB supply densityη(=m/SL, m is amount of CB, S is cross-section area of column, and L is the distance of CB supplied) and the rate of anode porosity εe on the power density. EXPERIMENTAL The anode of the RSCFC cell was Ni/Gd0.2Ce0.8O2 (Ni/GDC) and with added 1.85wt% CB (Ni/GDCCB) to obtain a high rate of porosity in CB column εCB (=1-(true volume of CB particle / volume of column)= 1-ηρ, hereρis true density of CB). The cathode was porous La 0.85Sr0.15MnO3, and the electrolyte was a disk of 10% Sc2O3 -1 mol% CeO2 – 89% ZrO2 (ScSZ; 20-mm diameter, 0.3-mm thick; Japan Fine Ceramics Co., Ltd.). Solid state CB was used as fuel (MA7, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Mitsubishi carbon). A constant amount of CB was added into a column and the εCB was varied from 90.2% to 88.2% by changing the length of column from 6 cm to 5 cm. For power generation, a gas mixture of Ar and 5% H2 was introduced to the anode at 202STP ml/min. Power generation was started at 900°C with no gas to anode but pure O2to the cathode. Terminal Voltage V was measured.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONFig.1 shows the performance curves of the RSCFC for different εCB. With small εCB (Fig.1b), PMax was higher. It was because of an increase in the rsup caused by the increase in the rCO due to increase in the total surface area of CB per unit volume of CB supply column.Fig.2 shows the surface SEM photograph of the Ni/GDC electrode in Fig.3 (a) and Ni/GDCCB (1.85wt %) in Fig.3 (b). We can see εeincreased by adding CB to Ni/GDC.Fig.3 shows the IV characteristics in each power generation cycle of the cell using (a) Ni/GDC electrode and (b) Ni/GDCCB (1.85wt %). In the power generation using the Ni/GDCCB (1.85wt %) electrode, which had larger εe than the Ni/GDC electrode, the maximum current density iMax was improved by 30 mA/cm2 and PMax improved by 50% (to 34.6mW/cm2). The possible reasons for the enhancement were considered as (1) an enhancement of direct oxidation of CB due to the inner surface of the anode, and (2) a reduction of pore diffusion resistor inside the anode. CONCLUSION The PMax of RSCFC with 2% less εCB of an anode was improved by 6.74 mW/cm2. It was because of an increase in the rsup caused by the increase in the rCO due to increase in the total surface area of CB per unit volume of CB supply column. Meanwhile, by using large εe of an anode, the PMax was increased (using Ni/GDC1.85%CB anode, improved by 11.72 mW/cm2). The possible reasons for the improvement were (1) an enhancement of direct oxidation of CB due to the inner surface of anode, and (2) a reduction of pore diffusion resistor inside the anode.REFERENCES1. Fuhito Ohba, Yuki Tagawa, Yu Sakai, Akinori Yabuki, Hiroyuki Shimada, and Manabu Ihara. ECS Trans. 33 (40), 163 (2011)2. Chikara Takei，Ying Chen, Manabu Ihara, ECS transactions, 33 (40), 175 (2011)3.X.-Y.Zhao, Q.Yao, S.-Q.Li, N.-S.Cai, Journal of Power Sources, 185(2008)104-111

Modeling Heat Transfer Effects In a Solid Oxide Carbon Fuel Cell

A model of a planar geometry solid oxide-based carbon fuel cell is developed. The carbon fuel cell involved a carbon bed in direct contact with the anode, and the oxygen needed for conversion is supplied through the yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) solid electrolyte. Using experimentally derived parameters, the model includes mass transport and chemical reaction kinetics inside the carbon bed, anode and cathode reaction kinetics, and ion transport across the YSZ electrolyte. The model also accounts for the effect of heat transfer on temperature distribution inside the anode and cathode compartments, and on the overall cell performance. As expected, inclusion of heat transfer effects provides a realistic predictive tool to anticipate cell performance and efficiency—under exothermic, autothermal, and endothermic operating conditions for the carbon fuel cell.

Powder Technology Contributing to High Efficiency and Clean Utilization of Solid Carbon Fuel Resources

Solid carbon fuel resources like coal and solid biomass are very important energy resources now and for the future. Coal reserves are more abundant than other fossil fuels, so coal will be important energy resource in the future. Biomass is regarded as renewable energy. For a stable supply of energy and protection against the global warming problem, advanced technologies for the utilization of coal and biomass are needed. Powder technology is important for effective utilization of solid carbon fuels. Powder handling technologies, from the mining of coal and the collection of biomass to the utilization of these fuels, is being utilized. In this paper, the role of powder technology in conventional thermal power plants and future high performance power plants is discussed along with the possibility of more effective contribution of powder technology including fuel upgrading technologies.