Feasibility studies of a fuel cell for cogeneration of homogeneously catalyzed acetaldehyde and electricity from ethanol

The development and feasibility of a novel fuel cell for simultaneously generating electricity and homogeneously catalyzed acetaldehyde from ethanol are reported, The fuel cell is based on the supported molten-salt electrocatalysis technique that allows use of homogeneous (liquid-phase) catalysts in fuel cells for the first time. The electrocatalytic reaction combines the chemistry of the Wacker process conventionally used for acetaldehyde production from the partial oxidation of ethylene and that of the Veba-Chemie method. Nafion membranes impregnated with different electrolytic materials were used in the fuel cell as electrolytes to allow operation at reaction temperatures up to 165 degrees C. Results obtained are comparable to those reported in the literature on partial oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde in a fuel cell based on conventional heterogeneous electrocatalysts.