A “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach for capacitive biochar production via the alkaline and alkaline earth metals activation

doi:10.1007/s11783-020-1295-0

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2021, Vol. 15

Issue (1) : 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1295-0

RESEARCH ARTICLE

A “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach for capacitive biochar production via the alkaline and alkaline earth metals activation

Xiling Li¹, Tianwei Hao²(

), Yuxin Tang³, Guanghao Chen^1,^4,^5,⁶

¹. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China
². Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macao, Macao 999078, China
³. Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macao, Macao 999078, China
⁴. Water Technology Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China
⁵. Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China
⁶. Wastewater Treatment Laboratory, FYT Graduate School, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou 511458, China

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Abstract

• Capacitive biochar was produced from sewage sludge.

• Seawater was proved to be an alternative activation agent.

• Minerals vaporization increased the surface area of biochar.

• Molten salts acted as natural templates for the development of porous structure.

Sewage sludge is a potential precursor for biochar production, but its effective utilization involves costly activation steps. To modify biochar properties while ensuring cost-effectiveness, we examined the feasibility of using seawater as an agent to activate biochar produced from sewage sludge. In our proof-of-concept study, seawater was proven to be an effective activation agent for biochar production, achieving a surface area of 480.3 m²/g with hierarchical porosity distribution. Benefited from our design, the catalytic effect of seawater increased not only the surface area but also the graphitization degree of biochar when comparing the pyrolysis of sewage sludge without seawater. This leads to seawater activated biochar electrodes with lower resistance, higher capacitance of 113.9 F/g comparing with control groups without seawater. Leveraging the global increase in the salinity of groundwater, especially in coastal areas, these findings provide an opportunity for recovering a valuable carbon resource from sludge.

Keywords Sewage sludge Biochar Seawater Recourse recovery Capacitor

Corresponding Author(s): Tianwei Hao

Issue Date: 24 July 2020

Cite this article:

Xiling Li,Tianwei Hao,Yuxin Tang, et al. A “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach for capacitive biochar production via the alkaline and alkaline earth metals activation[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(1): 3.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-020-1295-0
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2021/V15/I1/3

Fig.1 Scheme illustration of biochar production from sewage sludge: (a) Direct synthesis by pyrolysis of sewage sludge; (b) Conventional chemical activation using KOH or ZnCl₂ with post-acids-washing for porosity development in biochar; (c) Environmental “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach with alternative washing for biochar modification.

Tab.1 Sample names and synthesis methods

Fig.2 (a) Biochar yield under different pyrolysis temperatures (i.e., 600°C, 750°C, 900°C); and (b) thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of raw sludge and SWC precursors at 10°C/min.

Fig.3 (a?b) SEM images of surface morphology of SWC-900; and (c?d) TEM images of mesopores and micropores in SWC-900. (e) Nitrogen sorption isotherms of different carbon composites; and (f) Porosity distribution of different carbon composites calculated by density functional theory.

Tab.2 BET surface area and pore volumes of different biochar samples

Fig.4 (a) Raman spectra of biochar derived from direct pyrolysis of sewage sludge at different temperatures; and (b) Raman spectra of biochar derived from pyrolysis of sewage sludge impregnated with seawater. (c) XRD spectra of SWC-900 and SC-900 with calculated empirical factor (R).

Fig.5 High-resolution XPS scan of SC-900 and SWC-900: (a) C 1s of SC-900; (b) N 1s of SC-900; (c) O 1s of SC-900; (d) C 1s of SWC-900; (e) N 1s of SWC-900; and (f) O 1s of SWC-900.

Fig.6 (a) Cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests of SC-900 and SWC-900 at 20 mV/s. (b) Galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) curves. The inset in (b) shows the IR drops. (c) Specific capacitance of SWC-900 at different scan rates in CV tests. (d) CV of SWC-900 at different scan rates. (e) GCD of SWC-900 at different current densities. (f) Long-term durability test of SWC-900.

Fig.7 (a) Nyquist plots of SC-900 and SWC-900. The inset in (a) is the equivalent circuit and the magnified plot in the higher frequency region. (b) Bode plots of SC-900 and SWC-900, the frequency dependence of real capacitance Re(C). (c) Bode plot, the frequency dependence of imaginary capacitance Im(C).

Fig.8 (a) Illustration of functional groups in carbon lattice: SC with more oxygen functional groups and pyridinic-N, nitrile or imine-N groups; SWC with less oxygen functional groups and graphitic-N became dominant nitrogen functional groups. (b) Proposed synergetic mechanisms for “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach: NaCl melted as templates for mesopores development meanwhile acting as heat and energy transfer medium for the volatilization of NaCl. Na and Cl didn’t volatilize as NaCl molecule while Cl volatized prior to Na leaving Na as an etching agent to attack oxygen functional groups creating porosity.

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