Biomass-derived Carbon Material Research Articles

Biomass-derived hard carbon material for high-capacity sodium-ion battery anode through structure regulation

Economical and environmentally friendly hard carbon materials are attractive options for high-performance sodium-ion battery anode materials. Biomass-derived hard carbon materials have good economic benefits and environmentally friendliness as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. In this work, we propose a new hard carbon material prepared from agricultural waste olive shells through a simple and environmentally friendly process. The effects of high-temperature treatments and pre-carbonization strategies on the pore structure and graphitization degree of the hard carbon materials were investigated. Combined with electrochemical performance tests, the influence of structural changes on the sodium storage properties of the olive shell-derived hard carbon was revealed. Under the optimized conditions of carbonization temperature and pre-carbonization strategy, the OSHC-Air electrode exhibits excellent sodium storage capacity with 87 % capacity remaining after 1000 cycles at 1000 mA g−1. The assembled PB//OSHC-Air sodium-ion full cell exhibits a high capacity of 216 mAh g−1. Our research provides a potential candidate for commercial anode materials for high-capacity sodium-ion batteries.

Self-doped Na-carbon materials derived from a lyocell fiber for a high-performance trimethylamine gas sensor at room temperature

In this study, biomass-derived carbon material obtained from Lyocell fibers was first utilized as a gas sensor. The impacts of varying pyrolytic carbonization temperatures and pregrinding treatments on the structure, surface morphology, elemental composition, and gas sensitivity of the samples were thoroughly examined. The CL-500 sensor can realize rapid detection of trimethylamine with a high response (12.79k%, 500 ppm) and high selectivity at room temperature; the response/recovery times are 10 s and 2 s, respectively, and the theoretical detection limit is 3.96 ppm. Moreover, after four months, the response of the CL-500 sensor to trimethylamine fluctuated by less than 9.7 % compared with that of the fresh sensor, indicating good stability. It also shows good recovery after seven consecutive response-recovery cycles. Additionally, the CL-500 sensor has promising applications in real-life fish freshness monitoring. Theoretical calculations indicate that the introduction of trace amounts of Na enhances the sensing performance of this sensor for target gases. This study serves as a guide for developing cost-effective, high-performance gas sensors, promoting the efficient and high-value utilization of biomass waste.

Harnessing biomass derived carbon material with heteroatoms for sensitive and selective detection of mercury (II) ions in waste water

A wide range of raw materials can be converted into carbon materialsprimarily through chemical and physical activation, or a combination of both. The characteristics of resultant carbon material depend significantly on activation method and the specific raw materials used. This work processes date seed biomass using a chemical activation and thermal annealing method to derive a low-cost and porous carbon material DS-AC@400. The material was then used as a fluorescent sensing probe for selective and precise detection of Hg2+ ions in wastewater. There was a linear correlation between Hg2+ concentration and fluorescence intensity of DS-AC@400 with a limit of detection of 8.69 nM. It was found that the DS-AC@400-based fluorescent sensor has a high selectivity for Hg2+ detection against other interferingmetal ions. The sensor workedeffectively in real water samplesfor practical applications with little interference from interfering ions.

Sustainable Synthesis of Porous Biomass-Derived Carbon from Tecoma capensis for High Performance Supercapacitors: Characterization and Electrochemical Evaluation

Biowaste carbon products possess interesting physico-chemical properties and are cost-effective due to their remarkable characteristics. Biomass carbon derived from Tecoma capensis (TCL) was processed using pyrolysis at a controlled temperature in an eco-friendly, innovative and sustainable way to develop biomass-derived carbon material. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the facile synthesis of porous carbon compounds from biowaste and evaluate their use in supercapacitors. Various analytical methods, such as structural analysis, morphological studies and electrochemical studies, have been employed to characterize the carbon material generated from biomass. Electrochemical performance evaluation was conducted through cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge studies utilizing 1 M H2SO4 and 1 M KOH aqueous electrolyte, which exhibited a specific capacitance of 238 F g-1. The outcomes of the studies suggested that the eco-friendly, straightforward process can be utilized to prepare biomass carbon for the electrochemical energy storage applications in an efficient and sustainable manner.

Binary transition metal sulfides MoS2–NiS2 anchored on biomass-derived carbon for improved performance of lithium–sulfur batteries

The poor electrical conductivity of sulfur and electrochemically active solid-state products (Li2Sn, n = 1–3), and the shuttle effect have led to the low cycling stability of lithium-sulfur batteries and the low utilization of the sulfur cathode. In this work, 3D porous biomass-derived carbon material (KMC) was prepared from Miscanthus sinensis by KOH activation. The transition metal sulfide with excellent adsorption and catalytic characteristics was effectively combined with the conductive porous biomass-derived carbon material, and a KMC/MoS2−NiS2 composite material was obtained. The product was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Results show that MoS2−NiS2 nanoparticles can be uniformly distributed on the porous carbon material. Electrochemical measurements reveal that with an initial specific capacity of 1292 mA h g–1 at a current density of 0.1 C. After 400 cycles at 0.5 C, the specific capacity of KMC/MoS2−NiS2/S decays from 1007 to 814 mA h g–1. Thus, the capacity decay rate per cycle is about 0.054 %. This strategy provides a new idea for developing lithium−sulfur batteries with attractive performance.

Insights to the reaction kinetics of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using an integral system over Cu-Mo promoted Fe catalyst

This work focused on the design and kinetics study of the Cu-Mo promoted Fe catalyst supported on biomass-derived carbon material with engineered surface chemistry and textural properties for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The kinetics tests were carried out at different operational conditions including temperature in the range of 280–310 °C, pressures: 20.6–41.3 bar, and gas hourly space velocity (GHSV): 1500–3000 h−1. The reaction rate was evaluated based on the enol mechanism using Eley–Rideal theory. To study the reaction rates along the catalytic bed, the reactor was assumed as an integral system. The production rates of the hydrocarbons were estimated by introducing a mathematical expression based on the lumped reaction network. The kinetics parameters, profiles of the partial pressures for the reactants and products were optimized using genetic algorithm. The proposed reaction mechanism proceeded with associative adsorption of CO, followed by hydrogenation to an oxygenated intermediate (CHO*); and the activation energy for CO consumption rate model was obtained as 51.90 kJ. mol−1. The provided one-dimensional model can lead to better understanding of the reaction mechanism of FTS as a sustainable energy resource with a novel catalyst design.

Surface engineering of biomass-derived carbon material for efficient water softening

Adsorption treatment has been considered an attractive technique for water softening due to its simple operation and environmental friendliness. The application of this technique, nevertheless, is limited by the lack of materials with low price, easy synthesis, and high absorption efficiency. In this work, we synthesize biomass-derived carbon (BDC) adsorbents with a flake-like structure and modulate the surface properties of the obtained BDC through a simple process of phosphorylation (BDC-P). After surface modification, the adsorption capacity of Ca2+ increased from 26.83 mg/g for the pristine sample to 42.23 mg/g for the BDC-P, and the adsorption kinetics does not change and still follow the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Thermodynamic analysis reveals that the adsorption process is a spontaneous endothermic process, with an increase in entropy at the solid–liquid interface. As revealed by spectroscopic techniques, the adsorption mechanism is dominated by surface complexation. The enhanced adsorption performance is attributed to the presence of abundant oxygen-containing functional groups (phenolic hydroxyl, carboxyl, and phosphate groups) on the surface, which promoted the complexation process of Ca2+. Our results demonstrate that surface functionalization is an efficient strategy for strongly promoting the adsorption capacity of biomass-derived materials, which can be applied to constructing carbon-based functional materials for other environmental devices.

Biomass-derived functional carbon material for CO2 adsorption and electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction

CO2 adsorption and electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2RR) have been considered a promising path to realize CO2 emission reduction and simultaneously producing value-added chemicals. However, the high price and unsatisfactory performance of adsorbent or electrocatalyst materials have limited their application. Our group focuses on developing high-performance carbon materials derived from biomass for efficient CO2 adsorption and CO2RR. The effect of pyrolytic parameter and modifying agents was systematically studied to figure out the formation mechanism of biomass-derived carbon material. Furthermore, the mechanism CO2 adsorption and CO2RR are explored to determine required physicochemical properties of these carbon materials. Notably, in order to precisely introduce the desired pore structure and functional groups onto material, the idea of combining adjustable and modifiable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with environmentally friendly and stable biomass was proposed. The challenge in the application of biomass-derived functional carbon material is clarified. Through researchers are constantly dedicated to this field of research, it is believed that biomass-derived carbon material will find their unique positions in helping achieving carbon neutral.

Phosphate-decorated Fe-N-C to promote electrocatalytic oxygen reaction activities for highly stable zinc-air batteries

An obvious challenge for rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs) is the impact of large charge potentials on the oxidation of their cathode catalysts, which accelerates the corrosion of the carbon electrodes, and significantly compromises their stability. It is therefore necessary to design simple methods aimed at facilitating the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) processes of ZABs to suppress the corrosion of their cathode materials. Herein, a biomass-derived N-doped porous carbon material coupled with Fe3O4 and Fe2N nanoparticles and modified with phosphorus (P-Fe3O4/Fe2N@NPC) was designed as an air-cathode to reduce the charging voltage of ZABs. It exhibited excellent ORR/OER bifunctional electrocatalytic activities, and the assembled ZAB displayed an ultra-long service life. DFT calculations showed that the P-modification modulated the electronic state and coordination environment of the active iron atom, thereby significantly enhancing the OER activity of P-Fe3O4/Fe2N@NPC.

Recent Progress and Future Directions of Biomass-Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon: Designing, Preparation, and Supercapacitor Applications

In the past decades, fossil energy depletion, environmental pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions have resulted in serious health threats and ecological imbalances, which prompt researchers to explore green and sustainable supercapacitor energy storage and conversion systems. Biomass is a promising renewable energy source to use for biomass porous carbon for supercapacitor devices because it is renewable and has abundant reserves, a low price, and low pollution carbon energy. To date, although some reports have screened different biomass precursors, carbonization methods, and activation strategies and mechanisms, a comprehensive evaluation and critical review of the correlation among biomass porous carbon properties, including pore structure and surface chemistry, and electrochemical energy storage performances of supercapacitors are absent from a multidisciplinary assessment perspective. Therefore, in this review, we summarize recent advances in the biomass porous carbon synthesis process focusing on different carbonization and activation strategies, point out the scope of applicability and advantages/disadvantages of these methods in supercapacitor applications, and reveal the reaction mechanisms and limitations for commercial production. Then, the relationships among biomass porous carbon properties, including hierarchical porous structure, surface chemistry, specific surface area, and electrochemical performances of supercapacitors are reviewed in detail, which enables researchers to prepare and design advanced materials in a more rational way and facilitates them to explore more cutting-edge energy storage materials. Finally, two effective techniques including heteroatom doping and composite material construction are reviewed to address the general problem of low supercapacitor energy density. This review demonstrates the great potential of biomass porous carbon with superior properties, provides advanced tailoring and design viewpoints for the application fields of high-performance supercapacitors, and is expected to inspire new exploration and boost the practical commercial applications of biomass-derived hierarchical porous carbon material in more energy storage and conversion fields.

Glutinous rice-derived carbon material for high-performance zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors

The increasing demand for wearable electronic systems has driven research on portable electrochemical energy storage devices. Zinc-ion hybrid capacitors have recently received considerable attention owing to their benefits of environmental friendliness, safety, and low cost. However, their moderate energy density has severely hampered their use in portable electronic equipment. In this study, we used the sweet messes from glutinous rice alcoholic fermentation as a highly available green carbon source to prepare a new biomass-derived porous carbon material by mixing it with KOH under a nitrogen atmosphere. GRPC-A13 has a rich microporous structure, high micropore area (1991 m2 g−1), and abundant oxygen content (7.0 at.%). Subsequently, a carbon-based zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitor was assembled with GRPC-A13 as the cathode, and zinc foil and 2 mol/L ZnSO4 as the anode and electrolyte, respectively. Zn//GRPC-A13 devices offer an ultrahigh energy density of 116 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 800 W kg−1. In addition, they have a long lifetime of 270,000 constant-current charge/discharge cycles and still maintain 100 % Coulombic efficiency. This improvement is principally due to the rapid ion adsorption/desorption on the GRPC-A13 cathode electrodes and reversible zinc-ion plating/exfoliation on battery-type zinc negative electrodes. These results provide insight into the development of zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors in miniature electronics.

Biomass-derived carbon material as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Despite the abundance of carbon in nature, a significant portion of the existing biomass carbon materials in livestock, agriculture, and marine fishery industry are currently being wasted. Utilizing sustainable carbon materials as an alternative to noble Pt-based catalysts is crucial step to convert widely available and low-cost biomass resources into clean energy systems. Therefore, the rational synthesis of carbon-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has become a hot research focus in the field of electrochemistry. In this study, the recent progress in the synthesis of ORR electrocatalysts using sustainable biomass resources was reviewed; the activation and synthesis strategies of various biomass resources, as well as the microstructure and oxygen reduction performance of the prepared carbon-based catalysts were investigated. It is hoped that this review article will promote the understanding of various parameters from biomass as precursors for catalyst preparation and make contribute to the transition of biomass resources from the wasted carbon materials to the main catalysts in future energy devices.

Magnetic-Transition-Metal Oxides Modified Pollen-Derived Porous Carbon for Enhanced Absorption Performance

In our work, the transition-metal-oxide precursor (TMO@BC, M = Fe, Co, Ni) has been loaded on the pollen carbon by the hydrothermal method and annealed at different temperatures to generate a composite material of metal oxide and pollen carbon in this study, which can effectively prevent agglomeration caused by a small size and magnetism. The XRD patterns of the samples showed that the as-synthesized metal oxides were γ-Fe2O3, CoO, and NiO. In the 20 mg/L methyl orange adsorption experiment, the adsorption amount of CoO@C at 500 ℃ reached 19.32 mg/g and the removal rate was 96.61%. Therefore, CoO@C was selected for the adsorption correlation-model-fitting analysis, which was in line with the secondary reaction. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2: 0.9683-0.9964), the intraparticle diffusion model, and the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model indicated that the adsorption process was the result of both physical and chemical adsorptions, and the judgment was based on the electrostatic action. The adsorption and removal efficiency of ciprofloxacin (CIP) by changing the pH of the reaction was about 80%, so the electrostatic attraction worked, but not the main factor. Recovered by an external magnetic field, the three-time recycling efficiency was still maintained at more than 80%. This novel biomass-derived magnetic porous carbon material embedded with transition-metal-oxide nanoparticles is highly promising for many applications, especially in the field of environmental remediation.

Ultralight N-doped platanus acerifolia biomass carbon microtubes/RGO composite aerogel with enhanced mechanical properties and high-performance microwave absorption

Biomass-derived carbon material, an ideal lightweight and sustainable electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption material, has adjustable dielectric properties, which is one of its greatest advantages. However, how to comprehensively control its composite dielectric constant to achieve strong microwave absorption (MA), wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB), light mass, and thin thickness is still challenging. In this study, the N-doped biomass carbon microtubes/RGO composite aerogel (N-BCMT/RGO) with a three-dimensional multistage pore network structure was prepared by using the waste Platanus acerifolia tree fruit-derived biomass microtubes as the base, through heteroatom doping and composite conductive material. Among them, the doping of nitrogen atoms introduces numerous defects and promotes the formation of a heterogeneous interface, which plays an important role in regulating conduction and polarization loss. Secondly, the introduction of conductive material effectively promotes the hopping and migration of electrons, which further enhances the conduction loss. Moreover, the close binding of BCMT and RGO causes N-BCMT/RGO aerogel to exhibit enhanced mechanical properties. The special multistage hole structure allows N-BCMT/RGO to exhibit good impedance matching and ultra-low density (0.0121 g/cm3), which also exhibits an ultra-wide EAB of 8.36 GHz and a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −55.45 dB at an ultra-low filler loading of 2 wt%. This opens up an avenue for the realization of novel microwave absorbers with light weight and high performance, and the proposed comprehensive control strategy for the composite permittivity of biomass-carbon materials provides new ideas for activating the MA behavior of metal-free carbon-based absorbers.

Improvement of mechanical property of biomass-derived porous carbon material through in situ growth of SiCnws and glucose-converted pyrolysed carbon

Biomass porous carbon materials have been widely favoured for their unique structure and properties. At present, most research has mainly focused on improving the functional performance of biomass porous carbon materials without taking into account the mechanical property of biomass porous carbon materials. In this paper, we present a processing method for improving the mechanical property of biomass porous carbon materials. An apple derived porous carbon material (PC) with a low density of 0.167 g/cm3 and compressive strength of 0.59 MPa was prepared by freeze-drying and high-temperature pyrolysis. Subsequently, the in situ growth of SiCnws and glucose-converted pyrolysed carbon were prepared via solid-vapor and PIP method to improve the microstructure and mechanical property of PC. Due to the reinforcing rib structure constructed by SiCnws and pyrolysed carbon, the enhanced porous carbon material displayed a density of 0.316 g/cm3 and a high compressive strength of 3.14 MPa.

An innovative phase change composite with high thermal conductivity and sensitive light response rate for thermal energy storage

In recent years paraffin-based organic phase change materials have been widely employed in thermal-energy storage systems due to their relatively high latent thermal capacity. However, the risk of leaks, low thermal conductivity, and low light-to-thermal conversion capacity has, to date, limited their use in the storage of solar thermal energy. To address these issues, we have developed a novel bio-based shape-stable organic phase change composite (SSOPCC) by encapsulating paraffin C22 with the double-supporting component consisting of poly (styrene-b-ethylene-co-butylene-b-styrene) (SEBS) and expanded perlite (EP), and improving the thermal conductivity and increasing the sensitive light response rate by introducing boron nitride (BN) and a lignin biomass-derived carbon material carbonized lignin (CL). Our investigations show that, with the introduction of the BN sheets and biomass CL into the SSOPCCs, the thermal conductivity of the composites is improved (from 0.407 W/mK to 0.596 W/mK), and the light-to-thermal conversion ability is also considerably enhanced. The obtained SSOPCCs possess not only good thermal storage performance, such as high latent heat enthalpy (as large as 185.5 J/g) and high relative enthalpy efficiency (>95%) but also exhibit excellent thermal stability and reliability after multiple heating-cooling cycles. The findings of this study will both provide a promising way for fabricating new bio-based phase change composites for real solar energy storage and conversion applications and broaden the high-value utilization of lignin-based biomass.

Poly tannic acid carbon rods as anode materials for high performance lithium and sodium ion batteries

Due to abundant resources and low prices, biomass-derived carbons as anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have been widely reported. However, it is still a challenge to design a biomass-derived carbon material that has immunity to environmental influences, stable chemical composition and controllable morphology. In this paper, tannic acid (TA) as a precursor is first reported to synthesize rod structures with abundant mesopores and defects (PTA-700). These features can provide more active sites and space for lithium and sodium ions storage, which is conducive to lithium and sodium ions transfer. Excellent electrochemical performance is observed in LIBs (535 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 0.1 A/g) and SIBs (114.0 mAh/g after 3000 cycles at 1 A/g). Kinetics analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to further analyze the superior lithium and sodium ions storage performance of PTA-700. More importantly, PTA-700 solves many problems faced by traditional biomass-derived carbons in commercialization. Our work suggests an effective way to develop high-performance biomass-derived carbon anode materials for LIBs and SIBs.

Preparation of Porous Biomass-Derived Carbon Material and Its Sodium Storage Capacity

Biomass-derived porous carbon(BDPC)was designed and prepared from Qamgur,a biomass from Xinjiang,China,as the carbon precursor,by pre-carbonization and activation,while retaining Qamgur’s inherent pore structure.The microstructure,phase composition and pore structure of the material were analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Raman spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and nitrogen adsorption desorption test;The electrochemical properties of the material as a sodium storage anode were characterized by cyclic voltammetry,constant current charge-discharge, cycling,magnification and electrochemical impedance measurements.The results show that BDPC- 600 has good sodium storage performance because it contains nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms(the contents are 3.36 at.% and 7.61 at.%,respectively).At 0.1A/g current density,after 100 cycles of charge and discharge,the reversible capacity is 187.7mAh/g,and the capacity retention rate is 88.7%.In addition, BDPC-900 has excellent magnification performance due to its large specific surface area(2396.60 m2/g)and pore volume(1.70cm3/g).

Effects of drying process on the microstructure and properties of biomass-derived porous carbon material

In this study, a lightweight biomass-derived porous carbon materials with excellent mechanical and hydrophobic properties were prepared by a simple pyrolysis and carbonization method. The effects of different drying processes on the microstructure and properties of the porous carbon materials were investigated. The anisotropic porous carbon materials prepared via freeze-drying and vacuum drying exhibited low densities of 0.14 g/cm3 and 0.17 g/cm3, high water contact angles of 130.6 ± 2.6° and 111.5 ± 1.9°, and compression strengths of 0.32 MPa and 0.45 MPa. The surface tension increased during air drying, and the microstructure of the as-prepared porous carbon transformed from anisotropic to isotropic, displaying a higher density (0.22 g/cm3) and compression strength (0.72 MPa), but a lower water contact angle (90.4°). This work provides valuable guidance and inspiration for the design of lightweight structural-functional integrated porous carbon materials.

Biomass Carbon Magnetic Adsorbent Constructed by One-Step Activation Method for the Removal of Hg0 in Flue Gas.

Elemental mercury (Hg0) emission from industrial boilers equipped in factories such as coal-fired power plants poses serious hazards to the environment and human health. Herein, an iron-modified biomass carbon (Fe/BC) magnetic adsorbent was prepared by a one-step method using pepper straw waste as raw material and potassium oxalate and ferric nitrate as activator and catalyst precursor, respectively. A fixed-bed reactor was used to evaluate the Hg0 removal performance of the Fe/BC adsorbent. The synthesized adsorbent showed a wide temperature window for Hg0 removal. In a N2 + O2 atmosphere, the removal efficiency toward Hg0 was 97.6% at 150 °C. Further, O2 or SO2 could promote the removal of Hg0, while NO could inhibit the conversion of Hg0 over the Fe/BC adsorbent. The consequence of XPS and Hg-TPD showed that lattice oxygen in Fe2O3 and chemisorbed oxygen were the main active sites for Hg0 removal, and HgO was the main mercury species on used Fe/BC. Moreover, Fe/BC adsorbent showed a good regeneration and magnetization performance, which was conducive to the cost reduction of actual industrial application. This study provides a facile approach for efficient removal of Hg0 using biomass-derived carbon material.