Ethanol Reforming for Supplying Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells

An interesting application of agricultural renewable sources is the employment of ethanol for supplying Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFCs). For that purpose, ethanol has to be converted into hydrogen by a steam reforming process. MCFCs are particularly suitable for this kind of applications due to their high tolerability to the impurities which are contained into the reaction products and also for their high working temperatures (600-650°C) which allow integrating the reforming stage into the stack. This paper reports the results of ethanol reforming tests: pure ethanol and bioethanol obtained by sugar beet syrup fermentation were tested. Tests were carried out by a specific reactor designed for its integration into the anodic compartment of small size MCFCs.