Sustainable energy system combined biogas-feed-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and Microalgae technology

In the new frontier of energy and environmental safety, new efficient and clean safe energy conversion systems are required. In this sense, the present work is framed within the context of Circular Economy and proposes a multidisciplinary study for the development of more efficient, economically viable and non-polluting energy conversion systems, based on the synergetic combination of different technologies: fuel cells, biofuels, CO₂ capture, and the use of solar energy and microalgae. In a first step, a doped cerium oxide (Rh/Cu-CeCa) was evaluated as SOFC anode at 1023 K and using H₂ and biogas from different sources (algal biogas and landfill biogas) as fuel. Achieved maximum power density for the single cell running on algal biogas was 80 % higher than that obtained with landfill biogas. The comparative study shows the benefits of algal biogas as fuel for SOFC and clean energy production.