Energy savings by means of fuel cell electrodes in electro-chemical industries

In addition to consultations with interested organizations, data are presented for air depolarized cathode performance in caustic half cells and hydrogen depolarization of anodes for the electrowinning of zinc. Investigation with air depolarized Pt cathodes in caustic half cells include: progress of the one year old RA19 type air diffusion cathode; data involving incorporation of a Hg/HgO reference electrode into the standard hardware; studies investigating cathode loading vs. cell performance; continued evaluation of thin, porous, conducting substrates; and cathode performance as a function of electrolyte concentration. In the area of zinc electrowinning, short term tests (4 hours) with pure hydrogen feeds have been carried out under various cell operating conditions. In addition, tests with CO-containing hydrogen have been initiated utilizing different levels of carbon monoxide poison. A preliminary Economic Evaluation for Electric Energy savings versus hydrogen costs is presented