An innovative dual fuel cell to capture and collect pure NOX from flue gases

Abstract

Nitrogen monoxide (NO), a major air pollutant, can be directly used as a precursor for nitrogen fertilizer production as long as it is collected in a pure form. In this study, an innovative dual fuel cell system was designed for the efficient capture and collection of pure NO (X) from industrial flue gases as well as for electricity generation. The system consisted of a methanol/ferric-EDTA fuel cell for NO (X) capture and a ferrous-EDTA-NO/air fuel cell for captured NO (X) collection. In a separation operation, the maximum power densities, which were obtained at pH 2 and 20 A degrees C, were 785 and 1,840 mW m(-2) in FC1 and FC2, respectively, and increased with temperature. The highest overall outputs from FC1 and FC2 were measured at pH 2, a result that is possibly attributable to the redox potential difference between the anolyte and catholyte in the fuel cells. In the combined operation, ferrous-EDTA-NO prepared in the cathode compartment of FC1 was successfully and efficiently converted to ferric-EDTA and NO in the anode compartment of FC2. The present approach was considered advantageous for advanced NO (X) reuse technology in the respect that valuable products, such as fertilizer, could be produced.