Young people turn durian into batteries

Every year, Vietnam has about 120,000 tons of discarded durian peels, a huge source of agricultural by-products for battery production.

"The group has researched fuel and smokeless charcoal from the thorny layer of durian shells, so they discovered that durian white shells are a suitable source of raw materials to create carbon. This time, the group continues to exploit that ability further," said group leader Bui Dang Dang Khoa.

Another member, Che Quang Cong, explained that durian peel is a biomass material, consisting of lignocellulosic organic compounds rich in carbon elements. The white layer of durian peel is very porous, which can increase the pore structure of carbon materials, allowing electron transfer in the electrolyte solution, bringing very good electron diffusion efficiency, suitable for use as electrodes in supercapacitors.

To create carbon aerogel, durian peel is processed using a green process through hydrothermal, freeze-drying and fast pyrolysis steps. The results of the evaluation of the storage capacity of the carbon aerogel material show that with a capacitance of 200 F/g, the energy density is 10 Wh/kg, stable over more than 10,000 cycles. Therefore, this material is considered very "promising" to develop supercapacitors for small electronic devices or systems using electricity at a medium level.

Carbon aerogel also has the ability to provide stable energy over many long charge-discharge cycles, thereby reducing the impact on device durability, avoiding frequent maintenance or replacement.

Student group participating in project research: Bui Dang Dang Khoa, Che Quang Cong, Le Hoang Long and Pham Nguyen Dang Tuyen Photo: PROVIDED BY CHARACTER

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Quan, lecturer of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, University of Technology, assessed that this research product has high potential for application. However, durian peel is a type of biomass with a very complex chemical structure, so for practical application, a strict processing procedure is required.

This research is one of 10 outstanding initiatives, receiving professional support and 50 million VND in implementation funding from the Youth Initiative on Energy Transition Competition... The competition is jointly organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Research Center for Building Adaptive Capacity, and the Center for Living and Learning for Environment & Community in January 2024.

This is also one of 35 projects in Southeast Asia participating in the report in Jakarta, Indonesia under the STIC program organized by US-ASEAN in 2023.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nhom-ban-tre-bien-sau-rieng-thanh-pin-196240302204353706.htm