Nanocarbons provide clean electricity. (Energy And Environment).(Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory )

Nanoparticle News, September, 2002

Carbon nanoparticles can serve as the backbone for a direct carbon conversion fuel cell that could nearly double the energy conversion efficiency of fossil fuels used in electric power generation and substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions, according to researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

The electrochemical cell converts carbon particles from a variety of hydrocarbons directly into electricity without the need for equipment such as steam-reforming reactors, boilers, and turbines.

LLNL's direct carbon conversion process yields 80% of the carbon-oxygen combustion energy as electricity; in contrast, the conversion efficiency of coal-fired power plants is approx. 40%. Also, carbon dioxide emissions per kilowatt are cut...

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