Comparison of three different industrial lignin-based porous carbon electrodes for electrochemical applications

Yuyang Ma; Yanjie Yi; Yi Hou; Lirong Lei; Songqing Hu

doi:10.1515/npprj-2023-0052

Article

Comparison of three different industrial lignin-based porous carbon electrodes for electrochemical applications

Yuyang Ma , Yanjie Yi , Yi Hou , Lirong Lei and Songqing Hu

Published/Copyright: November 25, 2024

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From the journal Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal Volume 39 Issue 4

Abstract

In order to fully utilize industrial lignin, a comparative study was conducted on the properties of porous carbon electrodes prepared by activating different industrial lignin as precursors. The results revealed that carbon electrodes prepared with sodium lignosulfonate (CM-S) exhibited superior specific surface area (SSA) (1,593.5 m² g⁻¹) and pore volume (PV) (1.03 cm³ g⁻¹) due to the largest relative molecular mass (Mn = 4,539, Mw = 7,290), which is greater than that prepared with alkali lignin (CM-A) and kraft lignin (CM-K), and displayed a well-developed micro-mesoporous macropore hierarchy which was feasible for the efficiency of electron mobility. The electrochemical properties of materials were evaluated, and CM-S showed a mass-specific capacitance of 201 F g⁻¹ at 0.2 A g⁻¹ current density, along with an impressive capacitance retention rate of 54.7 % at 10 A g⁻¹ current density, which is more potential than CM-A and CM-K (specific capacitances: 100 F g⁻¹ and 75 F g⁻¹ respectively). Additionally, maximum energy and power density of CM-S were measured to be 6.98 W h kg⁻¹ and 2306 W kg⁻¹ with excellent retention rate of 95.5 % after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles at a current density of 5 A g⁻¹. Comparatively, sodium lignosulfonate, compared with alkali lignin and kraft lignin, emerges as a more ideal precursor material for porous carbon electrode.

Keywords: carbon electrode; industrial lignin; precursors; supercapacitor

Corresponding author: Songqing Hu, School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P.R. China, E-mail: fesqhu@scut.edu.cn

Funding source: Key Project of Research and Development Plan of Guangdong Province

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2022B0202020002

Funding source: Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2021A1515010645

Funding source: National Key Research and Development Program of China

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2022YFD2101404

Acknowledgments

The authors are appreciative of the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province (2021A1515010645), the supports of the National Key R&D Program (2022YFD2101404), and the Key Project of Research and Development Plan of Guangdong Province (2022B0202020002).

Research ethics: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.
Author contributions: Yuyang Ma and Yanjie Yi conceived the idea and analyzed the experimental data; Yuyang Ma carried out the experiment and wrote the manuscript, Prof Yi Hou, Lirong Lei and Songqing Hu supervise the project. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
Research funding: As stated in the acknowledgments.
Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.

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Received: 2023-09-11

Accepted: 2024-07-13

Published Online: 2024-11-25

Published in Print: 2024-12-17

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/npprj-2023-0052

Keywords for this article

carbon electrode; industrial lignin; precursors; supercapacitor