Activated carbons with extremely high surface area produced from cones, bark and wood using the same procedure

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Activated carbons are widely produced from diverse biomaterials.
• The influence of specific precursors on activated carbon properties is often highlighted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different forest-derived biomaterials on activated carbon properties.
• To determine if precursor choice affects the performance of activated carbons in supercapacitor electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Biochars were produced from pine cones, spruce cones, larch cones, and a pine bark/wood chip mixture.
• Identical carbonization and potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation procedures were used to create activated carbons.
• Specific surface area (SSA), pore size distribution, and supercapacitor electrode performance were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Activated carbons with exceptionally high BET surface areas (up to ~3500 m² g⁻¹) were produced from all precursors.
• Similar SSA, pore size distribution, and supercapacitor performance were observed across all tested activated carbons.
• Activated carbons from wood waste showed properties comparable to "activated graphene" prepared similarly.

Conclusions:

• The choice of biomaterial precursor is less critical for producing high-surface-area activated carbons than the carbonization and activation process details.
• Various wood wastes from the forest industry can be effectively converted into high-quality activated carbons for energy storage applications.