Direct-ethanol fuel cell

Ethanol can be obtained in great quantity from biomass through a fermentation process from renewable resources like from sugar cane, wheat, corn, or even straw.

The DEFC, similar to the DMFC, relies upon the oxidation of ethanol on a catalyst layer to form carbon dioxide.

With ethanol, power densities as high as 140 mW/cm2 at 0.5 V have been obtained at 25 °C with self-breathing cells containing commercial anion exchange membranes.

The liquid ethanol (C2H5OH) is oxidized at the anode in the presence of water, generating CO2, hydrogen ions and electrons.

[3] On 13 May 2007 a team from the University of Applied Sciences in Offenburg presented the world's first vehicle powered by a DEFC at Shell's Eco-marathon in France.

The car "Schluckspecht" completed a successful test drive on Nogaro Circuit, powered by a DEFC stack giving an output voltage of 20 to 45 V (depending on load).