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ISU researchers have developed a high performance low cost biomass fuel cell technology that can be directly fed with biomass wastes/residuals, biorefinery or pyrolytic streams as fuels.

This technology is a fuel cell that can transform biomass wastes into useable energy at low cost. The membrane, anode and cathode catalysts are all designed to lower the overall cost of the system while maintaining performance. The fuel cell is an anion exchange membrane type fuel cell which uses a low cost PTFE membrane. The anode catalyst is a non-precious metal or non-metal. The cathode catalyst, while still a precious metal, is low loading and supported on carbon.

• Operated at low temperature (e.g. <80°C) and ambient oxygen or air

• Employs low loading of precious metal anode catalyst

• Utilizes very inexpensive porous PTFE membrane

• Can be directly fed with crude biomass/biorefinery/pyrolytic feedstock

High performance biomass fuel cells

Patent(s) applied for