Performance of NiO/YSZ anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell fueled with landfill gas stream

Abstract

Generating electrical energy from landfill gas (LFG) is a challenge due to its low conversion efficiency. In this study, performance of a NiO/yttria-stabilized zirconia (NiO-YSZ) anode-supported cell operating with LFG feed stream was evaluated. This study investigated the potential of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) to produce electricity from LFG generated in pilot scale anaerobic municipal solid waste bioreactors. During the initial experiments, power generation was achieved in the SOFC with direct feeding of the LFG. Different feed flow rates (10 25 mL/min) and varying temperature conditions (700 800 °C) were also investigated to define the optimal conditions. Experiments were carried out at different feed rates and the successful results obtained from 10 mL/min and 20 mL/min feed speeds. It was also observed that the maximal power values were between 0.10 0.11 Watt/cm2 for all experiments. This study showed that SOFCs can provide significantly higher energy efficiencies than steam engines for LFG conversion into electrical energy.