Bio fuel cell to reduce costs

A team of scientists from the University of Oxford developed a biofuel cell, which produces energy via an enzyme catalyst at low costs.

The most commonly used FC electrocatalyst is platinum. The precious metal is very efficient but expensive, and its availability is limited, making fuel cells a costly method of energy production. Further, platinum is poisoned by carbon monoxide impurities that are often found in industrially produced hydrogen. Removal of CO adds to the cost of the fuel cell system.

For their research on the hydrogenase biofuel cell, the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory's researchers around Dr. Julie Vincent were awared the "Low Carbon Innovator of the Year Award 2003". The conventional platinum FC anode is replaced by a precious metal-free hydrogenase electrode. This is coupled to a cathode incorporating the fungal enzyme, laccase, which catalyses reduction of oxygen to water.

The invention is the subject of a UK priority patent application, with licenses available to commercial partners.

Source: H2Report, Dec. 2003