Premium
Phytoremediation of Nickel via Water Hyacinth for Biocarbon‐Derived Supercapacitor Applications
Author(s) -
Shell Katelyn M.,
Vohra Shaan Y.,
Rodene Dylan D.,
Gupta Ram B.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
energy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 2194-4296
pISSN - 2194-4288
DOI - 10.1002/ente.202100130
Subject(s) - supercapacitor , hyacinth , bet theory , potassium hydroxide , materials science , specific surface area , phytoremediation , nickel , capacitance , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , eichhornia crassipes , chemical engineering , electrochemistry , electrolyte , chemistry , electrode , environmental chemistry , catalysis , aquatic plant , metallurgy , organic chemistry , ecology , heavy metals , macrophyte , biology , engineering
Water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes , WH) is cultivated in a hydroponic system containing various concentrations of Ni 2+ to demonstrate phytoremediation techniques as a facile, low‐cost, and sustainable method for synthesizing high‐performance biocarbon electrode materials. A high specific capacitance of 541 F g −1 in 2 m potassium hydroxide (KOH) is achieved for WH‐5 biocarbon with an energy density of 30.5 Wh kg −1 . Materials are assembled into a coin cell supercapacitor capable of lasting 10 000 cycles with 100% capacitance retention. Surface area characterizations support these results with an S BET of 3429 m 2 g −1 , a V BET of 2.13 cm 3 g −1 , and an S p avg of 2.5 nm, indicating enhanced pore formation and functional group cleaving. Raman spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform IR (ATR‐FTIR), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) give further insight into physical characteristics of the biocarbon that lead to improved electrochemical performance. This work describes an optimal concentration of preabsorbed Ni 2+ catalyst (5 ppm in H 2 O) capable of achieving 98% of theoretical capacitance and value‐added environmental cleanup associated with synergistic remedial techniques.