Turning an environmental problem into an opportunity: potential use of biochar derived from a harmful marine biomass named Cladophora glomerata as anode electrode for Li-ion batteries

Abstract

The electrochemical performance of lithium ion battery was enhanced by using biochar derived from Cladophora glomerata (C. glomerata) as widespread green macroalgae in most areas of the Iran's Caspian sea coast. By the utilization of the structure of the biochar, micro-/macro-ordered porous carbon with olive-shaped structure was successfully achieved through pyrolysis at 500 °C, which is the optimal temperature for biofuel production, and was activated with HCl. The biochar and HCl treatment biochar (HTB) were applied as anode electrode in lithium ion batteries. Then, electrochemical measurements were conducted on the electrodes via galvanostatic charge–discharge, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses. The electrochemical results indicated a higher specific discharge capacity (700 mAh g⁻¹) and good cycling stability for HTB at the current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹ as compared to the biochar. The reason that HTB electrode works better than the biochar could be due to the higher surface area, formation functional groups, removal impurities, and formation some micropores after HCl treatment. The biochar derived from marine biomass and treatment process developed here could provide a promising path for the low-cost, renewable, and environmentally friendly electrode materials.

Graphical abstract

Algal-biochar into Li-ion Battery