Chestnut-Derived Activated Carbon as a Prospective Material for Energy Storage.

Katarzyna Januszewicz,Anita Cymann-Sachajdak,Justyna Łuczak,Paweł Kazimierski,Marek Klein,Monika Wilamowska-Zawłocka

doi:10.3390/ma13204658

Abstract

In this work, we present the preparation and characterization of biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) in view of its application as electrode material for electrochemical capacitors. Porous carbons are prepared by pyrolysis of chestnut seeds and subsequent activation of the obtained biochar. We investigate here two activation methods, namely, physical by CO2 and chemical using KOH. Morphology, structure and specific surface area (SSA) of synthesized activated carbons are investigated by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrochemical studies show a clear dependence between the activation method (influencing porosity and SSA of AC) and electric capacitance values as well as rate capability of investigated electrodes. It is shown that well-developed porosity and high surface area, achieved by the chemical activation process, result in outstanding electrochemical performance of the chestnut-derived porous carbons.

Highlights

In recent years, biomass-derived carbon materials have been widely studied due to their structural diversity and attractive properties, which may be tailored by various preparation procedures and activation methods [1,2,3,4,5,6]
From 128.1 g of raw chestnut biomass, 30.5 g of solid fraction remained after the pyrolysis process
Lower carbon content in C–KOH sample compared to C-non may result from a higher degree of oxidation but may come from impurities remaining after the activation process

Summary

Introduction

Biomass-derived carbon materials have been widely studied due to their structural diversity and attractive properties, which may be tailored by various preparation procedures and activation methods [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Biomass can be transformed into valuable carbon materials by thermochemical conversion processes performed in various oxygen conditions, e.g., gasification, pyrolysis and combustion [12]. All of these methods involve numerous chemical reactions, such as decomposition, dehydration, oxidation, polymerization etc. Decomposition of the lignocellulosic materials starts at 350 ◦ C and goes up to 700–800 ◦ C in the absence of air/oxygen

Methods

Results

Conclusion