Construction of anodic electron transfer chain based on CuCl2/TiOSO4 synergetic mediators for highly efficient conversion of biomass wastes into electricity at low temperature

作者：She, Chenxing; Zu, Xihong^*; Yang, Zhiheng; Chen, Liheng; Xie, Zixin; Yang, Hao; Yang, Dongjie; Yi, Guobin; Qin, Yanlin; Lin, Xuliang; Zhang, Wenli; Dong, Huafeng; Qiu, Xueqing^*

来源：Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023, 452: 139266.

DOI：10.1016/j.cej.2022.139266

• Biomass waste
• Biomass flow fuel cell
• Electron transfer chain
• Synergetic mediators
• Low temperature

Biomass flow fuel cells (BFFCs) are promising alternatives for large-scale conversion of biomass into electricity at low temperature. However, most of them are based on single redox-active materials in anolyte which have limited capacity density and electron transfer rate, resulting in many natural biomass residues can't generate electricity rapidly and efficiently. Herein, we develop a new anodic electron transfer chain based on CuCl2/TiOSO4 synergetic mediators for BFFCs. The density functional theory (DFT) simulation and experiment results show that TiO2+/Ti3+ redox couple works as an intermediate medium to construct a CuCl2/TiOSO4 synergetic electron transfer chain, which strengthens the electron transfer rate between anolyte and graphite felt (GF) electrode. The CuCl2/TiOSO4 synergetic mediators can efficiently and rapidly degrade glucose, industrial lignin and other natural biomasses at low temperature, and extract electrons simultaneously for generating electricity. The maximum power density (P-max) of CuCl2/TiOSO4-based BFFC is 146.7 mw.cm(-2) when the anolyte is prereacted at 90 degrees C for 1 h with glucose as fuel and paired with VO2+/VO2+ catholyte. And the fuel cell can discharge electricity continuously and stably for more than 6 h at 400 mA.cm(-2). Furthermore, it can stably power LED pattern with 92 bulbs. Besides, when the CuCl2/TiOSO4-based BFFC utilizes sodium lignosulfonate as fuel, its P-max is 55.1 mW.cm(-2) , and the BFFC can discharge electricity stably for more than 1 h at high output current density of 1.3 A.cm(-2). This work provides a promising approach for application in direct biomass wastes power generation.

• 单位
  广东工业大学