Biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a sustainable flowelectrode material for enhanced capacitive deionization

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2025.04.001

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 83 ›› Issue (7): 244-253.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2025.04.001

Biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a sustainable flowelectrode material for enhanced capacitive deionization

Hongyang Liu¹, Li Zhang¹, Jiali Cai¹, Siyu Liu¹, Cuijiao Zhao¹, Shuyu Wang¹, Mengyu Zhao¹, Menglong Liu¹, Wenwen Ding², Hongjian Zhou³, Weiji Dai¹, Saifang Huang¹

1 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China;
2 School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China;
3 Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China

Received:2025-02-22 Revised:2025-04-13 Accepted:2025-04-18 Online:2025-07-28 Published:2025-07-28
Contact: Cuijiao Zhao,E-mail:202100000134@just.edu.cn;Hongjian Zhou,E-mail:hjzhou@issp.ac.cn;Saifang Huang,E-mail:s.huang@just.edu.cn
Supported by:
This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52202093) and the National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of Jiangsu University of Science and Technology (202410289005Z).

Biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a sustainable flowelectrode material for enhanced capacitive deionization

Hongyang Liu¹, Li Zhang¹, Jiali Cai¹, Siyu Liu¹, Cuijiao Zhao¹, Shuyu Wang¹, Mengyu Zhao¹, Menglong Liu¹, Wenwen Ding², Hongjian Zhou³, Weiji Dai¹, Saifang Huang¹

1 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China;
2 School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China;
3 Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China

通讯作者: Cuijiao Zhao,E-mail:202100000134@just.edu.cn;Hongjian Zhou,E-mail:hjzhou@issp.ac.cn;Saifang Huang,E-mail:s.huang@just.edu.cn
基金资助:
This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52202093) and the National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of Jiangsu University of Science and Technology (202410289005Z).

Abstract

Abstract: Freshwater scarcity has emerged as a critical global environmental challenge. Flow-electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) represents a promising technology for achieving efficient and low-energy seawater desalination. This study presents a novel flow-electrode material, nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NPC), which is derived from biomass and demonstrates both cost-effectiveness and high performance. The NPC material is synthesized from bean shells through high-temperature pre-carbonization followed by activation with KHCO₃, resulting in a rich porous structure, increased specific surface area, and high graphitization degree, which collectively confer superior capacitance performance compared to activated carbon (AC). Desalination experiments indicate that the FCDI performance of the NPC flow-electrode surpasses that of the AC flow-electrode. Specifically, at a voltage of 2.5 V in a 6 g·L^-1 NaCl solution, the NPC system achieves an average salt removal rate (ASRR) of 104.9 mg·cm^-2·min^-1, with a charge efficiency (CE) of 94.0% and an energy consumption (EC) of only 4.4 kJ·g^-1. Furthermore, the NPC-based FCDI system exhibits commendable desalination cycling stability, maintaining relatively stable energy consumption and efficiency after prolonged continuous desalination cycles. This research holds significant implications for the advancement of environmentally friendly, low-cost, high-performance FCDI systems for large-scale applications.

Key words: Biomass, Activation, Desalination, N-doped, Flow-electrode

摘要： Freshwater scarcity has emerged as a critical global environmental challenge. Flow-electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) represents a promising technology for achieving efficient and low-energy seawater desalination. This study presents a novel flow-electrode material, nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NPC), which is derived from biomass and demonstrates both cost-effectiveness and high performance. The NPC material is synthesized from bean shells through high-temperature pre-carbonization followed by activation with KHCO₃, resulting in a rich porous structure, increased specific surface area, and high graphitization degree, which collectively confer superior capacitance performance compared to activated carbon (AC). Desalination experiments indicate that the FCDI performance of the NPC flow-electrode surpasses that of the AC flow-electrode. Specifically, at a voltage of 2.5 V in a 6 g·L^-1 NaCl solution, the NPC system achieves an average salt removal rate (ASRR) of 104.9 mg·cm^-2·min^-1, with a charge efficiency (CE) of 94.0% and an energy consumption (EC) of only 4.4 kJ·g^-1. Furthermore, the NPC-based FCDI system exhibits commendable desalination cycling stability, maintaining relatively stable energy consumption and efficiency after prolonged continuous desalination cycles. This research holds significant implications for the advancement of environmentally friendly, low-cost, high-performance FCDI systems for large-scale applications.

关键词: Biomass, Activation, Desalination, N-doped, Flow-electrode

Hongyang Liu, Li Zhang, Jiali Cai, Siyu Liu, Cuijiao Zhao, Shuyu Wang, Mengyu Zhao, Menglong Liu, Wenwen Ding, Hongjian Zhou, Weiji Dai, Saifang Huang. Biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a sustainable flowelectrode material for enhanced capacitive deionization[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 83(7): 244-253.

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Biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a sustainable flowelectrode material for enhanced capacitive deionization

Biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a sustainable flowelectrode material for enhanced capacitive deionization

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