Characterization of an activated carbon electrode made from coconut shell precursor for hydrogen storage applications

Electrochemical hydrogen storage is considered as the safest mode compared to the other storage forms, which is why it has attracted a significant research attention in the past decade. Carbon-based porous mediums offer many benefits that favor hydrogen adsorption in it. The presented work investigates the feasibility of coconut shell derived activated carbon for hydrogen adsorption by ascertaining its physical and chemical characteristics. The procedure employed for characterization is disclosed. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, average crystalline size of the activated carbon was found to be 51,7 m2 /g and average crystalline size using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to be 10,69 nm, respectively, which is comparable with the published data in literature. The scanning electron microscopy illustration of the field emission revealed the presence of well-developed pores on the surface of the sample activated carbon. The Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis (FTIR) spectrum was employed to determine the existence of essential functional groups. The ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-V) is used to confirm the presence of π- π* transition within the activated carbon. Working in the similar direction, the presented work is an experimental investigation on ionic hydrogen storage in an activated carbon electrode integrated in a modified reversible polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) for transport applications that is carried out. The ingress and egress of hydrogen within the developed PEMFC of 6,25 cm2 active area successfully stored 559,65 mAh/g during charging and give out 510,51 mAh/g while discharging. The result analysis revealed the feasibility of the coconut shell based activated carbon to be a suitable candidate for hydrogen storage applications.

1. . Ioannidou, O., & Zabaniotou, A. (2007). Agricultural residues as precursors for activated carbon production-a review. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 11 (9), 1966-2005.

2. . Gratuito, M. K. B., Panyathanmaporn, T., Chumnanklang, R. A., Sirinuntawittaya, N. B., & Dutta, A. (2008). Production of activated carbon from coconut shell: Optimization using response surface methodology. Bioresource technology, 99 (11), 4887- 4895.

3. . Toles, C. A., Marshall, W. E., Johns, M. M., Wartelle, L. H., & McAloon, A. (2000). Acidactivated carbons from almond shells: physical, chemical and adsorptive properties and estimated cost of production. Bioresource Technology, 71(1), 87-92.

4. . Laine, J., & Yunes, S. (1992). Effect of the preparation method on the pore size distribution of activated carbon from coconut shell. Carbon, 30 (4), 601-604.

5. . Jian, Z., Liu, P., Li, F., He, P., Guo, X., Chen, M., & Zhou, H. (2014). Core–shell‐structured CNT@ RuO2 composite as a high-performance cathode catalyst for rechargeable LiO2 batteries. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 53(2), 442-446.

6. . Wei, H., Gu, H., Guo, J., Cui, D., Yan, X., Liu, J., & Guo, Z. (2018). Significantly enhanced energy density of magnetite/polypyrrole nanocomposite capacitors at high rates by low magnetic fields. Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, 1 (1), 127-134.

7. . Wang, G., Chen, X., Liu, S., Wong, C., & Chu, S. (2016). Mechanical chameleon through dynamic realtime plasmonic tuning. ACS nano, 10 (2), 1788-1794.

8. . Xu, N., Sun, X., Zhao, F., Jin, X., Zhang, X., Wang, K., & Ma, Y. (2017). The role of pre-lithiation in activated carbon/Li4 Ti5 O12 asymmetric capacitors. Electro chimicaActa, 236, 443-450.

9. . Dobrota, A. S., Pašti, I. A., Mentus, S. V., Johansson, B., & Skorodumova, N. V. (2017). Functionalized graphene for sodium battery applications: the DFT insights. ElectrochimicaActa, 250, 185-195.

10. . Zhao, F., Dai, S., Wu, Y., Zhang, Q., Wang, J., Jiang, L. & Wang, C. (2017). Single‐junction binaryblend nonfullerene polymer solar cells with 12,1 % efficiency. Advanced Materials, 29 (18), 1700144.

11. . Ekpete, O. A., & Horsfall, M. J. N. R. (2011). Preparation and characterization of activated carbon derived from fluted pumpkin stem waste (Telfairiaoccidentalis Hook F). Res J ChemSci, 1 (3), 10-17.

12. . Wilson, K., Yang, H., Seo, C. W., & Marshall, W. E. (2006). Select metal adsorption by activated carbon made from peanut shells. Bioresource technology, 97 (18), 2266-2270.

13. . Pratibha R. Gawande, Dr. Jayant P. Kaware,«Preparation and activation of activated carbon from waste materials-A review», International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology, Volume 4 Issue XII, 2016, pp. 1-4.

14. . Yang, K., Peng, J., Srinivasakannan, C., Zhang, L., Xia, H., & Duan, X. (2010). Preparation of high surface area activated carbon from coconut shells using microwave heating. Bioresource technology, 101 (15), 6163-6169.

15. . Bamufleh, H. S. (2011). Adsorption of Dibenzothiophene (DBT) on Activated Carbon from Dates’ Stones Using Phosphoric Acid (H^ sub 3^ PO^ sub 4^). Journal of King Abdulaziz University, 22 (2), 89.

16. . Li, L., Dong, S., Chen, X., Han, P., Xu, H., Yao, J., & Cui, G. (2012). A renewable bamboo carbon/polyaniline composite for a high-performance supercapacitor electrode material. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 16(3), 877-882.

17. . Kuratani, K., Okuno, K., Iwaki, T., Kato, M., Takeichi, N., Miyuki, T., ... & Sakai, T. (2011). Converting rice husk activated carbon into active material for capacitor using three-dimensional porous current collector. Journal of Power Sources, 196(24), 10788-10790.

18. . Xiong, W., Liu, M., Gan, L., Lv, Y., Li, Y., Yang, L., & Chen, L. (2011). A novel synthesis of mesoporous carbon microspheres for supercapacitor electrodes. Journal of Power Sources, 196(23), 10461-10464.

19. . Jiang, Q. W., Li, G. R., Wang, F., & Gao, X. P. (2010). Highly ordered mesoporous carbon arrays from natural wood materials as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells. Electrochemistry communications, 12 (7), 924-927.

20. . Chu, H., Chien, T. W., & Twu, B. W. (2001). The absorption kinetics of NO in NaClO2 /NaOH solutions. Journal of hazardous materials, 84(2-3), 241-252.

21. . Jin, D. S., Deshwal, B. R., Park, Y. S., & Lee, H. K. (2006). Simultaneous removal of SO2 and NO by wet scrubbing using aqueous chlorine dioxide solution. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 135(1-3), 412-417.

22. . Sakai, M., Su, C., &Sasaoka, E. (2002). Simultaneous removal of SOx and NOx using slaked lime at low temperature. Industrial & engineering chemistry research, 41(20), 5029-5033.

23. . Heidarinejad, Z., Dehghani, M. H., Heidari, M., Javedan, G., Ali, I., & Sillanpää, M. (2020). Methods for preparation and activation of activated carbon: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 18, 393-415.

24. . Malini, K., Selvakumar, D., & Kumar, N. S. (2023). Activated carbon from biomass: Preparation, factors improving basicity and surface properties for enhanced CO2 capture capacity–A review. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 67, 102318.

25. . Hussain, O. A., Hathout, A. S., Abdel-Mobdy, Y. E., Rashed, M. M., Rahim, E. A., & Fouzy, A. S. M. (2023). Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from agricultural wastes and their ability to remove chlorpyrifos from water. Toxicology Reports, 10, 146-154.

26. . Yurtay, A., & Kılıç, M. (2023). Biomass-based activated carbon by flash heating as a novel preparation route and its application in high efficiency adsorption of metronidazole. Diamond and Related Materials, 131, 109603.

27. . Chu, H., Chien, T. W., & Li, S. Y. (2001). Simultaneous absorption of SO2 and NO from flue gas with KMnO4 /NaOH solutions. Science of the total environment, 275 (1-3), 127-135.

28. . Murthy, K., Shetty, R. J., & Shiva, K. (2023). Plastic waste conversion to fuel: a review on pyrolysis process and influence of operating parameters. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 45(4), 11904-11924.

29. . Shafizadeh, A., Rastegari, H., Shahbeik, H., Mobli, H., Pan, J., Peng, W., & Aghbashlo, M. (2023). A critical review of the use of nanomaterials in the biomass pyrolysis process. Journal of Cleaner Production, 136705.

30. . Wang, L., Zhao, W., & Wu, Z. (2007). Simultaneous absorption of NO and SO2 by FeIIEDTA combined with Na2 SO3 solution. Chemical Engineering Journal, 132 (1-3), 227-232.

31. . Teng, H., Tu, Y. T., Lai, Y. C., & Lin, C. C. (2001). Reduction of NO with NH3 over carbon catalysts: The effects of treating carbon with H2 SO4 and HNO3 . Carbon, 39(4), 575-582.

32. . Lillo-Ródenas, M. A., Cazorla-Amorós, D., & Linares-Solano, A. (2003). Understanding chemical reactions between carbons and NaOH and KOH: an insight into the chemical activation mechanism. Carbon, 41(2), 267-275.

33. . Jain, A., Tripathi, S. K., Gupta, A., &Kumari, M. (2013). Fabrication and characterization of electrochemical double layer capacitors using ionic liquid-based gel polymer electrolyte with chemically treated activated charcoal electrodes. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 17 (3), 713-726.

34. . Nangsuay, A., Ruangpanit, Y., Meijerhof, R., &Attamangkune, S. (2011). Yolk absorption and embryo development of small and large eggs originating from young and old breeder hens. Poultry Science, 90 (11), 2648-2655.

35. . Singla, S., Sharma, S., Basu, S., Shetti, N. P., & Aminabhavi, T. M. (2021). Photocatalytic water splitting hydrogen production via environmental benign carbon based nanomaterials. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 46 (68), 33696-33717.

36. . Ferreira, R. B., Santos, D. F., Pinto, A. M. F. R., & Falcão, D. S. (2023). Development and testing of a PEM fuel cell stack envisioning unmanned aerial vehicles applications. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

37. . Narehood, D. G., Kishore, S., Goto, H., Adair, J. H., Nelson, J. A., Gutiérrez, H. R., & Eklund, P. C. (2009). X-ray diffraction and H-storage in ultra-small palladium particles. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 34 (2), 952-960.

38. . Poirier, E., Chahine, R., & Bose, T. K. (2001). Hydrogen adsorption in carbon nanostructures. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 26 (8), 831-835.

39. . Demir, M. E., Chehade, G., Dincer, I., Yuzer, B., & Selcuk, H. (2019). Synergistic effects of advanced oxidization reactions in a combination of TiO2 photocatalysis for hydrogen production and wastewater treatment applications. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 44 (43), 23856-23867.

40. . Mahato, D. P., Sandhu, J. K., Singh, N. P., & Kaushal, V. (2020). On scheduling transaction in grid computing using cuckoo search-ant colony optimization considering load. Cluster Computing, 23, 1483-1504.

41. . Rani, S., Babbar, H., Kaur, P., Alshehri, M. D., & Shah, S. H. A. (2022). An optimized approach of dynamic target nodes in wireless sensor network using bio inspired algorithms for maritime rescue. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

42. . Sivachidambaram, M., Vijaya, J. J., Kennedy, L. J., Jothiramalingam, R., Al-Lohedan, H. A., Munusamy, M. A., & Merlin, J. P. (2017). Preparation and characterization of activated carbon derived from the Borassusflabellifer flower as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications. New Journal of Chemistry, 41(10), 3939-3949.

43. . Oberoi, A. S. (2015). Reversible electrochemical storage of hydrogen in activated carbons from Victorian brown coal and other precursors. RMIT University.

44. . Zhang, L., Tu, L. Y., Liang, Y., Chen, Q., Li, Z. S., Li, C. H., ... & Li, W. (2018). Coconut-based activated carbon fibers for efficient adsorption of various organic dyes. RSC advances, 8 (74), 42280-42291.

45. . Fanning, P. E., &Vannice, M. A. (1993). A DRIFTS study of the formation of surface groups on carbon by oxidation. Carbon, 31(5), 721-730.

46. . Babel K., Janasiak D., Jurewicz K. (2012). Electrochemical hydrogen storage in activated carbons with different pore structures derived from certain lingo cellulose materials. Carbon, 50 (14), 5017-5026. Doi: 10.1016/j.carbon.2012.06.030

47. . Jurewicz K., Frackowiak E., BéguinF. (2002). Electrochemical storage of hydrogen in activated carbons. Fuel Processing Technology, 77-78, 415-421. Doi:10.1016/S0378-3820(02)00092-9