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Carbon Materials Derived from Waste Streams: From Processing Pathways to Structure-Property-Function Relationships
1Faculty of Engineering, Sohar University, Sohar 311, Oman.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Waste-derived carbon materials offer sustainable solutions for energy storage and catalysis. Optimizing their structure-property relationships through advanced processing is key to unlocking their full potential for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Sustainable Chemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Global waste streams, including biomass, plastics, and sludge, present significant management challenges.
- These waste streams represent a valuable resource for producing functional carbon materials.
- Current limitations in understanding structure-property relationships hinder the rational design of waste-derived carbons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an integrated analysis of waste-derived carbon materials.
- To examine processing pathways, structural characteristics, and their impact on material performance.
- To identify key enablers for industrial translation.
Main Methods:
- Review and comparative assessment of five primary processing routes: pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonisation, physical and chemical activation, and microwave-assisted processing.
- Analysis of feedstock composition and its influence on carbon yield and structure.
- Examination of structure-property relationships, including morphology, pore architecture, surface chemistry, doping, and crystallinity.
Main Results:
- Waste-derived carbons show promise in electrochemical energy storage (e.g., 612 F/g specific capacitance, 450 mAh/g sodium storage).
- Materials exhibit high performance in adsorption (e.g., CO2 uptake of 5.0 mmol/g, dye adsorption >9000 mg/g).
- Biomass-derived carbons function effectively as catalysts for biodiesel production (>90% yield over multiple cycles).
Conclusions:
- Rational design of waste-derived carbons requires a deeper understanding of feedstock-processing-structure-function linkages.
- Addressing challenges like feedstock variability and scalability is crucial for industrial application.
- Machine learning, standardized characterization, and circular economy policies are vital for realizing the potential of these materials.
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