NOVELTY - A process comprises: (a) forming syngas; (b) forming a primary alcohol or polyol from the syngas; (c) providing the primary alcohol or polyol to a fuel cell; and (d) producing power from the fuel cell while converting the primary alcohol or polyol to its corresponding carboxylic acid moiety or salt.    USE - The process and closed loop system are useful for generating power in a fuel cell and for forming acetate or formate or oxalate through an incomplete oxidation of ethanol or methanol or ethylene glycol or glycerol; and for converting a carbon source to power while avoiding atmospheric release of carbon containing greenhouses gases (all claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The process and system efficiently and cost-effectively generate power by converting a carbon source to power while avoiding atmospheric release of carbon containing greenhouses gases.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are:    (1) a process for generating power in a fuel cell and for forming acetate or formate or oxalate through an incomplete oxidation of ethanol or methanol or ethylene glycol or glycerol, comprising: (a) providing a fuel cell comprising: (i) an enclosed fuel cell having an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, where the anode chamber is separated from the cathode chamber by a porous separator that allows the free transfer of liquids and ions between the chambers; (ii) the anode chamber comprises an anode electrode having a catalyst on it, and a mixture of fuel and an electrolyte; and (iii) the cathode chamber comprises a hydrophobic coated cathode electrode having a catalyst on it and oxygen gas; and where the anode electrode and the cathode electrode are electrically connected to leads for current flow, and where the enclosed fuel cell is capable of producing at least 10 mA/cm2; and (b) mixing the ethanol or methanol or both with base to form the fuel for the fuel cell; and    (2) a closed loop system for converting a carbon source to power while avoiding atmospheric release of carbon containing greenhouses gases, comprising: (a) one or a set of fuel cells, where each fuel cell comprises: (i) an enclosed fuel cell having an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, where the anode chamber is separated from the cathode chamber by a porous separator that allows the free transfer of liquids and ions between the chambers; (ii) the anode chamber comprises an anode electrode having a catalyst on it, a mixture of fuel and an electrolyte, a fuel inlet and a spent fuel outlet; and (iii) the cathode chamber comprises a hydrophobic coated cathode electrode having a catalyst on it and oxygen gas; and where the anode electrode and the cathode electrode are electrically connected to leads for current flow, and where the enclosed fuel cell is capable of producing at least 10 mA/cm2; (b) a mixed primary alcohol fuel mixture added to the inlet of the anode chamber and a spent fuel consisting essentially of a carboxylic acid moiety where the original primary hydroxyl moiety was, obtained through the outlet of the anode chamber, where the spent fuel is substantially a carboxylic moiety of the original primary alcohol; and (c) a gasifier capable of functioning as an anaerobic combustion chamber and having one or a set of input ports for the carbon source, carboxylic acids and air and an output port for solid products and alcohols.