Continuous monitoring of CO2 yields from electrochemical oxidation of ethanol: Catalyst, current density and temperature effects

A very simple method for continuous quantification of carbon dioxide yields from electrochemical processes, using a commercial CO2 detector, is presented. Application of this method to electrochemical oxidation of ethanol greatly decreases the time needed to evaluate catalyst behaviours and allows for efficient elucidation of the factors that influence CO2 yields. A systematic study of the effects of current density and temperature on the performances of Pt and PtRu anode catalysts has been carried out. The amount of CO2 produced at each current and temperature has been measured in real time. Yields of CO2, the product of total oxidation of ethanol, are compared with the limited results reported in the literature for direct ethanol fuel cells.