ELECTROOXIDATION OF DIESEL FUEL IN ALKALINE ELECTROLYTE

In recent decades the demand of energy has increased significantly. Providing more and more energy is an essential task of today's energetic industry. In the last few years, addition to traditional methods of energy production, alternative energy sources have been developing fast. One of these sources is fuel cell, mainly due to their high efficiency. Generally fuel cells are powered by hydrogen. However, problems with the storage of hydrogen are the reason for the search of new fuels for fuel cells. Moreover, fuel cells can provide an additional/emergency electricity source in energy systems using combustion engines. So, it is important using the main fuel for powering the fuel cell. One of the fuels used for powering the fuel cells could be diesel fuel. Diesel engines drive cars, trucks, boats, tanks and also agricultural machinery e.g. tractors or harvesters. So, there are a lot the possibilities of using this solution. The paper presents results of measurements of electrooxidation of diesel fuel emulsion prepared on the basis of a nonionic surfactant on a smooth platinum electrode in an aqueous solution of KOH. The resulting current density reached the level of 25 mA/cm2. So, the possibility of using diesel as the fuel for ...