Haze to electricity: Efficiently harvesting electric energy from air pollutants by construction of bioinspired electron transport chains in light- and heat-driven liquid flow fuel cells

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 420; p. 129716
• Main Authors: Ouyang, Denghao, Wang, Fangqian, Yang, Huishan, Zhao, Xuebing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.09.2021
• Subjects: Electron transport chain; Ferricyanide; Haze-to-electricity conversion; Heat-driven fuel cell; Light-driven fuel cell; Vanadyl; Electron transport chain; Vanadyl; Ferricyanide; Haze-to-electricity conversion; Heat-driven fuel cell; Light-driven fuel cell
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.129716

[Display omitted] •Construction of bioinspired electron transfer chains for electron transfer.•Ferricyanide and vanadyl screened as efficient electron carriers.•Light-driven fuel cell obtained 1.2 mW/cm2 at 25 °C fueled with haze pollutants.•Light-driven fuel cell obtained 143 mW/cm2 at 90 °C fueled with haze pollutants.•About 80% total efficiency for chemical energy to electricity conversion. Inspired by the working principle of naturally-existing photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport chains (ETCs) in phototrophic organisms and living cells, we have constructed artificial ETCs to promote the kinetics of electron transfer thus achieving efficient conversion of haze pollutants to electricity by light- or (photo-thermal) heat-driven liquid flow fuel cells (LFFCs). Ferricyanide (K3[Fe(CN)6]) and VO2+/VO2+ with activation by HNO3 have been screened as efficient anode and cathode mediators to transfer electrons to oxygen. Light-driven LFFC with a CdS@TiO2 photo-anode achieved a maximal power density (Pmax) of 1.2 mW/cm2 at room temperature, while heat-driven LFFC made a Pmax of 142.7 mW/cm2 at 90 °C. About 80% overall efficiency of haze-to-electricity was obtained. Various wastes including different sugars, lignin, cellulose, urea and even the coal-burning power plant ashes could be converted to electricity, indicating the promising prospect of this technology for application in treatment of organic pollutants coupled with generation of electricity.