The production of carbon electrodes from lignocellulosic biomass of areca midrib through a chemical activation process for supercapacitor cells application

ABSTRACT

Lignocellulosic biomass can be used as a suitable basic material for producing activated carbon for use as a supercapacitor cell electrode, due to the high specific surface area, adjustable pore structure, chemical stability, electrical conductivity, and environmentally friendly. Lignocellulosic biomass of areca midrib (AM) is the first biomass to be used as a carbon electrode of a supercapacitor cell carbon without an adhesive material. AM is processed into self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG). Furthermore, SACG is chemically activated with potassium hydroxide (KOH) activator with varying concentrations 0.1 M, 0.2 M, and 0.3 M for get green monolith, before carbonization with N₂ gas at 600°C and physical activation with CO₂ gas at 700°C to produce carbon monolith electrodes for supercapacitor applications. X-ray diffraction and N₂ isothermal methods to determine physical properties of carbon electrodes, while cyclic voltammetry method to determine electrochemical properties of supercapacitor cells. The results of the microstructure analysis showed the Areca carbon midrib electrode has a semicrystalline structure, indicated by the presence of (002) and (100) hkl planes at an angle of 2θ about 24° and 44°, while the highest heap height (L_c) value was produced at a concentration of 0.2 M (carbon electrodes AM-02). The results of isothermal gas N₂ and electrochemical properties analysis show that carbon electrodes AM-02 have the highest specific surface area (SSA) and specific capacitance (Csp) of 654.729 m²/g and 142 F/g, respectively. Based on research results, it was shown that the AM-02 had a better potential as an energy storage device for supercapacitor applications than the AM-01 and AM-03 samples.

KEYWORDS:

• Lignocellulosic biomass
• areca midrib
• activated carbon
• chemical activation
• supercapacitor cell

Acknowledgments

The authors are greteful to the DRPM Kemenristek/BRIN, Republic of Indonesia for financial support through first year project of World Class Research (WCR), with contract number: 477/UN.19.5.1.3/PT.01.03/2021

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia (Kementerian Riset Teknologi Dan Pendidikan Tinggi Republik Indonesia).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rakhmawati Farma

Rakhmawati Farma is a lecturer and doctoral as well as the secretary in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Riau, Indonesia. She is a researcher of materials science in especially supercapacitors, and she is also material science laboratory coordinator in the Department of Physics.

Mutya Kusumasari mutia is a bachelor-physics student from the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences, University of Riau, Indonesia.

Irma Apriyani is a master’s degree student in physics and research assistant in the material science laboratory from the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences, University of Riau, Indonesia.

Awitdrus Awitdrus is a lecturer and doctoral in the Department of Physics and Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Alumni the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Riau, Indonesia. He is a researcher of materials science in especially supercapacitors, and he is also material science laboratory coordinator in the Department of Physics.