Chapter 8 - Agricultural waste-derived graphene and its derivatives: opening the way for a sustainable environment

Abstract

In recent years, researchers are emphasizing the conversion of agriculture waste to carbon-based value-added materials, to meet the need for sustainable energy and also lessen the dependency on petrochemicals for fuels. Among carbon nanoparticles, graphene and its derivatives have received remarkable attention due to its high graphitic degree, higher surface area, larger pore size, high specific capacitance, good electrical conductivity, low toxicity, and biocompatibility. Owing to its unique structure and property, graphene can be employed in multifaceted applications including electronic to biomedical devices. Agricultural waste such as sugarcane bagasse, rice husk, tea waste, coconut shell, peanut shell, lotus stem, and hemp fiber can be used extensively as precursors for graphene synthesis. Many methods have been developed to fabricate graphene, among which hydrothermal reaction, chemical activation, chemical exfoliation, and chemical vapor deposition (chemical vapor deposition) were considerably used for the processing of agriculture waste. Biochar produced from agricultural waste through pyrolysis is also reported as a source of graphene by applying chemical methods. Overall, this chapter summarizes the various agricultural wastes and several approaches for the conglomeration of two-dimensional single-layered carbon lattice, graphene which could have various applications in the area of environmental management.