UH develops charcoal-fired fuel cell – The Honolulu Advertiser
The carbon cell functions something like a car battery. It has an anode and cathode positive- and negative-charged terminals in a liquid solution, and if you put an electrical load — like a light bulb — between them, electrical current flows from one to the other. But that’s where the similarity ends.

In Antal’s cell, the electrolyte is alkaline potassium hydroxide, not sulphuric acid. It is kept under pressure to prevent it from boiling away at 400 degrees. The negative terminal, or cathode, which acts as a catalyst, is made of nickel and silver or platinum.

The positive terminal, or anode, is a porous ceramic column filled with charcoal powder. A piston keeps it pressurized, and serves at the attachment point for the electrical connection.

In operation, hydroxide ions in the electrolyte attack the carbon, creating carbon dioxide and water. The process releases energy.

The cell is fed air to provide the process with new oxygen, and it vents carbon dioxide.

The charcoal does not burn in the sense of a campfire burning. The reaction occurs entirely within the liquid of the fuel cell.

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what voltage per cell? What kind of current per gram of carbon consumed? details damnit! This sounds really promiseing!