China unveils world’s first coal fuel cell that can produce electricity with zero emission

Chinese scientists have developed a way to generate electricity and achieve higher energy efficiency than conventional burning methods, while producing zero carbon dioxide emissions, by placing coal inside a “battery”.“Coal-fired power” conjures images of heavy pollution, steep carbon footprints and modest efficiency. But a novel, direct coal power technology challenges that stereotype by eliminating combustion entirely and sidestepping the carbon dioxide emissions that have long defined coal use.A team led by Xie Heping, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with Shenzhen University, has for the first time built what they call a zero-carbon-emission direct coal fuel cell, or ZC-DCFC.