Keywords
Citation
(1998), "Zinc-air fuel cell", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 45 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.1998.12845caf.004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited
Zinc-air fuel cell
Zinc-air fuel cell
Keywords Electrolyte, Fuel cells, Zinc
A zinc-air fuel cell developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the University of California has taken a step toward commercialization. Livermore has signed an agreement with Power Air Tech USA, a consortium formed by a group of Australian companies. Discussions are under way to bring US companies into the consortium. Zinc-air fuel cells, or batteries, consist of zinc pellets (the anode), a cathode that extracts O2 from the air, and potassium hydroxide electrolyte. An advantage is that they produce at least five times as much electricity as lead-acid batteries of the same weight.
Livermore calls its unit a fuel cell because zinc pellets are added as fuel to the cell, as needed. The electrolyte is continuously recirculated, removing waste heat and zinc oxide. The 1mm-diameter pellets are regenerated from the zinc oxide in a spouted-bed electrolysis cell.
Potential applications include loading-levelling in power plants, and powering fleet electric vehicles. The capital cost is estimated at $50-100/kW, plus $2/kWh for the zinc inventory.
Livermore is building more than 100 cells of up to 100W each, for testing under various operating conditions.