This paper reports on microscale silicon-based direct formic acid fuel cells (Si-DFAFCs) in which the fuel and the oxidant are supplied to the electrodes in a passive manner. Passive delivery of fuel and oxidant eliminates the need for ancillary components and associated parasitic losses. In this Si-DFAFC, an aqueous solution of formic acid is in direct contact with a Pdor Pt-based anode and a ...

Large quantities of oxalic acid accumulate in the cell sap of various plants and as a major product of carbohydrate metabolism by many molds. A recent investigation in our laboratory revealed that oxalic acid was produced from oxalacetic acid by an enzyme system which was isolated from the mycelia of Aspergillus niger (1). It was also demonstrated that oxalic acid was converted to formic acid a...

The available evidence indicates that formic acid is the precursor of the molecular hydrogen produced as an end product of fermentations effected by Escherichia coli, Aerobacter aerogenes, and related organisms. Formate is rapidly decomposed by these bacteria with the formation of H2 and CO2 in a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme or enzyme-complex designated as "formic hydrogenlyase". One of the...

We study the reaction of atomic hydrogen with formic acid and characterize the radical products using IR spectroscopy in a Kr matrix and quantum chemical calculations. The reaction first leads to the formation of an intermediate radical trans-H2COOH, which converts to the more stable radical trans-cis-HC(OH)2via hydrogen atom tunneling on a timescale of hours at 4.3 K. These open-shell species ...

Hydrogen has attracted increasing attention as an important alternative secondary energy resource particularly when combined with fuel-cell technology, which may play a very significant role in power generation in the future. Currently most H2 is produced industrially by methane or alcohol reforming and by the water–gas-shift reaction at high temperatures. However, special purification steps ar...

The kinetics of mild steel corrosion in 20:0, 19:1, 18:2 and 15:5 (v/v%) aqueous mixture of acetic and formic acids has been investigated by weight loss and potentiostatic polarization techniques. The effects of composition of electrolyte and temperature on the corrosion rate of mild steel have been evaluated. The corrosion rate of mild steel increased linearly with temperature as well as amoun...

A pilot study was conducted to compare odor emissions from a windrow process and an aerated static pile and to determine the odor reduction efficiency of a pilot two-phase biofilter for odor control of biosolids composting. Chemical compounds identified as responsible for odors from biosolids composting include ammonia, dimethyl disulfide, carbon disulfide, formic acid, acetic acid, and sulfur ...

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) from palm oil were characterized. The holocellulose (66.97%), α-cellulose (47.91%), and lignin (24.45%) are similar to wood materials, and various non-wood materials, but the fiber length is shorter (0.53 mm). The influence of operational variables in the EFB pulping [formic acid (75-95%), hydrochloric acid (0.05-0.15%), and time (30-150 min)], on the yield, kappa numb...

Formic acid is a highly energetic electron donor but it has previously resulted in low power densities in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Three different set anode potentials (-0.30, -0.15, and +0.15 V; vs. a standard hydrogen electrode, SHE) were used to evaluate syntrophic interactions in bacterial communities for formic acid degradation relative to a non-controlled, high resistance system (1,00...

This review presents an overview of the photoreduction CO2 to formic acid using homogeneous catalysts.