Development of Hierarchical Porous Carbons from Woody Biomass and Spent Mushroom Substrate
Research Poster Engineering 2025 Graduate ExhibitionPresentation by Victor Ayoola
Exhibition Number 213
Abstract
Hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) are structured with micro-, meso-, and macropores, capable of providing multiple active sites in the catalytic conversion processes. HPCs containing heteroatom(s) in their carbon network are important carbon-based functional materials and have attracted great attention because of their excellent properties. Existing methods for synthesizing HPCs and heteroatom doped-HPCs have various drawbacks that include the use of non-renewable precursors or templates, a long synthesis period involving multiple steps that increase costs and time consumption, and a lack of control over the morphology and pore structure of the resulting carbon products. In the present study, HPCs and heteroatoms-doped HPCs were prepared from partially solubilized woody biomass and spent mushroom substrates (SMS) using sustainable and cost-effective approaches. The porosity, heteroatom composition, and carbon content of the products were tuned by evaluation of different drying methods, sonication, and carbonization conditions. The heteroatom composition was enhanced by performing the carbonization between 700-800°C while sonication was effective for the preparation of uniform structured carbons. Characterization/analysis of the products showed that the porosity of the carbons highly depended on the drying process.
Importance
This study will provide benefits by synthesizing uniform structured HPCs from solubilized biomass and SMS. HPC-derived materials can be promising for degrading persistent contaminants, PFAS and BPA, in water using UV/TiO as an advanced oxidation process powered by sunlight. This research can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing waste from the environment and converting it into high-value HPC products applicable in energy storage, environmental remediation, electrochemical capacitors, lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, and fuel cells. Biomass-derived feedstocks will be used for hydrogen production through hydrothermal gasification, thereby providing substantial economic and environmental benefits.