A Green Solution to Energy Storage: Brewers’ Spent Grains Biocarbon‐Silica Composites as High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries Anodes

RAVIOLO, SOFÍA; BRACAMONTE, M. VICTORIA; CALDERÓN, CECILIA A.; COMETTO, FERNANDO P.; LUQUE, GUILLERMINA L.

Energy Technology

Wiley

Año: 2023

2194-4288

The demand for more efficient energy storage devices has become increasingly important inorder to face the ongoing energy transition. In this regard, it is equally important to attain theproduction of these devices with the lowest possible environmental impact. In light of this, theuse of waste materials and low-polluting methods has become a strategic priority. In thisstudy, brewers´ spent grains were utilized as raw material to produce anodic electrodes forlithium-ion batteries. The synthesis process involves only two pyrolysis steps at lowtemperatures without any chemical treatment, reducing energy investment and wastegeneration. The result is a porous biocarbon structure - with mixed graphitic and amorphouscharacteristics - decorated with silica nanoparticles. The presence of silica greatly enhancesstorage capacity. The obtained biocarbon based electrodes exhibited a capacity of 455 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles, surpassing the standard anode material commonly used in commercial lithium ion batteries.