Hyderabad researchers use corn husk to develop low-cost carbon electrode

Researchers from Hyderabad have announced a simple and cost-effective method to derive ‘activated carbon electrode’ material from corn husk for use in high-voltage supercapacitors.

The electrode showed better electrochemical performance (high energy density and high-power density) when compared with conventional supercapacitors, the researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) and International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad, stated.

The outcome is important for India, especially for states like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh-Telangana, which are the largest producers of corn in the country, respectively.

The study was conducted by Dr Atul Suresh Deshpande, associate professor, department of materials science and metallurgical engineering, IIT-H, in collaboration with Dr TN Rao, associate director, ARCI, along with their students, M Usha Rani and K Nanaji. Their research paper detailing the synthesis procedure and the electrochemical performance of the material produced has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Power Sources.

Maize crop leaves a large amount of husk and much of this waste is burnt. Its potential to be converted to valuable electrode material was not harnessed owing to lack of awareness, expertise and technology, the scientists said.

“This research on affordable and efficient methods can enable this conversion, which would trigger the cascade of additional earning opportunity for the corn farmer and the provision of a sustainable energy source.”

In the global sector, rapid advancements in adopting new technology and fast-evolving green energy systems are trending in the supercapacitor’s market. It is projected to share $720 million by 2025 market value, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12% from 2020 to 2025.

Carbon-based electrodes — which are typically derived from expensive, high purity precursors such as polymers, organic precursors, high purity gases using various methods — are playing a crucial role in the development of energy storage devices. The production of carbon electrodes from biomass is a simpler straightforward process.