Biochar To Replace Activated Carbon Electrodes

Storing of energy is always a problem. Mostly it is concerned with storing efficiency. Many times it happens that the existing cheaper methods are not efficient, but due to economical considerations we have no option but to go with them. However it seems that we have both cheaper as well as more efficient alternative available now. Researchers, actually young students at students at Stevens Institute of Technology are working on super-capacitors to make them more capable of tapping renewable energy.

#-Link-Snipped-#The research team consisted of Rachel Kenion, Liana Vaccari, and Katie Van Strander all of Chemical Engineering dept., Stevens institute of Technology. These people were actually researching on ‘supercapacitors’ and they wanted to determine if it would be possible to employ some different material to make electrode which could easily be accommodated in existing technology that too with positive effects.

The storage system which is concealed under layer of radiation absorbing layer in a solar heater or similar gadgets consists of supercapacitors. These supercapacitors are nothing but normal capacitors with a very high capacitance. Hence they are also called as ‘ultra capacitors’. Super capacitors are also used in hydrogen fuel cell car batteries and other such gadgets. Supercapacitors are expensive as far as the cost per watt is concerned. This also meant that they would actually require making these capacitors more efficient and cheap.

Finally their research led them to a by-product which we all are aware of but never gave it a serious thought. To say in a lay man’s terms, ‘Biochar’ is a by-product generated by slow burning of wood and related products  slowly and employing very low heat intensity. In scientific terms Biochar is the by-product of ‘pyrolysis’ process. This process is actually used produced Bio fuels. So students from Stevens Institute of Technology in an experiment tried to fabricate a prototype model of existing model of supercapacitors with only replacement was a Biochar electrode.

Liana Vaccari said, “With our process, we are able to take that biochar and put it to good use in supercapacitors. Our supply comes from goldenrod crop, and through an IP-protected process, most organics, metals, and other impurities are removed. It is a more sustainable method of production than activated carbon”.

Conventionally an electrode made up of activated carbon is used which also adds to cost. Biochar being cheap and easily available seems to be a feasible solution. Nowadays there is a lot of emphasis given to the use of Bio fuels. When they are burned, Biochar is produced as a by-product.

For any person or industry to produce a solar panel, the main expense is incurred in supercapacitors, that too, due to activated carbon electrode. Researchers using Biochar electrode have tried to solve this problem. They are hoping to make it a commercial success. In case, this comes to market, then demand for solar related gadgets would soar. It would not only be cheap but also result in a greener environment. This high would not only be in case of solar gadgets but also in terms of production of Bio fuels because that is where we would be generating Biochar. So in this way with a single technology we would be actually availing two benefits.

Source: Cheaper, Greener, Alternative Energy Storage at Stevens - PR.com