A substantial amount of research is currently being devoted to ethanol since it can be an
environmentally friendly fuel source which is based on renewable resources.
A substantial amount of research is currently being devoted to ethanol since it can be an
environmentally friendly fuel source which is based on renewable resources.
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Sugar cane
Bioethanol
Fuel Cell
Absorbing CO
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Power
Today a cleaner and more economical solution could emerge from research in using ethanol
instead of methanol as a fuel for fuel cells. The Bio-Energy Discovery Kit demonstrates the
technology of a newly developed Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell, or DEFC, which unlike DMFC, does not
use any corrosive fuel. Unlike other applications where biofuels are burned for energy, DEFCs do
not burn ethanol, but create electricity by slowly converting ethanol to regular vinegar.
Ethanol is the easier fuel to work with for widespread use by consumers, especially as more
research continues into the use of fuel cells in consumer electronics applications. Ethanol is a
hydrogen-rich liquid and it has a higher energy density (8.0 kWh/kg) compared to methanol (6.1
kWh/kg). Most importantly, a non-toxic long-lasting battery-like energy storage device can now
emerge as a clean alternative to alkaline batteries that contain mercury and cadmium substances,
a major source of groundwater pollution.
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