Collaborative Research: Mechanistic study of mesoporous carbon formation from food waste

合作研究：食物垃圾中介孔碳形成的机理研究

• 批准号: 2305251
• 负责人: Sandeep Kumar
• 金额: $ 24.5万
• 依托单位: Old Dominion University Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2305251&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Mechanistic; study; mesoporous

Over one-third of the food produced in the United States goes to waste. About 94% of this wasted food ends up in landfills, incinerators, and municipal sewage systems. In landfills, the decomposition of food waste generates greenhouse gases (methane and carbon dioxide) and other by-products that can cause soil, air, and water pollution. Because food waste is a renewable source of organic carbon that can support a circular economy, there is a critical need for novel and cost-effective processes for converting food waste to high value products. The overarching goal of this project is to explore the conversion of boneless/ homogenized food waste into mesoporous carbon which could be used to fabricate electrodes for supercapacitors and energy storage applications. To advance this goal, the Principal Investigators (PIs) propose to design, evaluate, and optimize a novel 2-stage process which consists of a surfactant assisted hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of food waste to produce a hydrochar precursor material followed thermal treatment to produce an electrode-grade mesoporous carbon material for preparing supercapacitors with high specific surface area (2000 m2/g) and electrical capacitance (275/F/g). The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the generation of new data and fundamental knowledge to advance the conversion of food waste to mesoporous carbon for supercapacitors and energy storage applications. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of one graduate student at Old Dominion University and one graduate student at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.Food waste is a promising resource and feedstock for advancing a circular economy. However, there are several challenges associated with the processing and conversion of food waste to valuable organic compounds including its high moisture content, variable composition, and the presence of inorganic impurities. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), which can utilize water as a reaction medium, has emerged as promising process for the conversion of food waste to high-value organic products. In this project, the Principal Investigators (PIs) will explore the ulization of surfactant assisted HTC to convert homogenized and boneless food waste to hydrochar followed by the thermal treatment of the produced hydrochar to generate an electrode-grade mesoporous carbon for supercapacitors and energy storage applications. The guiding hypotheses of the proposed research are that 1) the self-assembly of surfactant micelles in hydrothermal media will provide nucleation and growth sites for the dispersed hydrochar that forms during the HTC of food waste and 2) the use of a surfactant will open the pores of the hydrochar during thermal treatment to improve mesoporosity, specific surface area, and ion intercalation. The specific objectives of the research are to 1) conduct mechanistic investigations of hydrochar formation during surfactant assisted HTC; 2) develop and validate treatment processes to remove metallic impurities from hydrochar; 3) investigate the chemical-thermal treatment of the synthesized and purified hydrochar to generate mesoporous carbon; and 4) carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) to evaluate the environmental impact and economic feasibility of producing mesoporous carbon from food waste for supercapacitor manufacturing and energy storage applications. To implement the education and training goals of the project, the PIs propose to leverage existing programs at Old Dominion University (ODU) and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) to 1) recruit and mentor graduate and undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to work on the project and 2) develop and implement outreach activities to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM education including annual workshops at ODU and SDSMT that focus on the science and engineering of food waste conversion to high value products.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在美国生产的食物中有超过三分之一浪费了。大约94％的浪费食物最终陷入垃圾填埋场，焚化炉和市政污水系统中。在垃圾填埋场中，食物废物的分解会产生温室气体（甲烷和二氧化碳）和其他可能导致土壤，空气和水污染的副产品。由于食物浪费是可以支持循环经济的可再生有机碳来源，因此对于将食物浪费转换为高价值产品的新颖和经济有效的过程至关重要。该项目的总体目标是探索无骨/同质化的食物浪费转化为中孔碳，可用于为超级电容器和储能应用制造电极。为了促进这一目标，首席研究人员（PIS）建议设计，评估和优化新型的2阶段过程，该过程由食物浪费的表面活性剂辅助的水热碳化（HTC）组成，以产生氢含糖前体材料，遵循热处理，以生成电极级级别型材料，以使高级别的表面化型和高级表面能够与高素质型和高素质的区域（2000000000000000000色不下）（200000000000000000000色不下”。 （275/f/g）。该项目的成功完成将通过产生新数据和基本知识来使社会受益，以推动食品浪费向介孔碳转换为超级电容器和能源存储应用。通过学生的教育和培训将为社会带来其他好处，包括在旧自治领大学的一名研究生和南达科他州矿业和技术学院的一名研究生指导。食物废物是一种有希望的资源和原料，用于促进循环经济。但是，将食物浪费与有价值的有机化合物的加工和转化相关，包括其高水分含量，可变成分以及无机杂质的存在。可以利用水作为反应培养基的水热碳化（HTC）已成为将食物浪费转化为高价值有机产品的有前途的过程。在该项目中，首席研究人员（PIS）将探索表面活性剂辅助HTC的ulization将同质化和无骨食品废物转化为氢炭，然后对生产的氢炭进行热处理，以产生一种用于超级电容器和能源存储应用的电极级中倍孔碳。拟议研究的指导假设是：1）水热培养基中表面活性剂胶束的自组装将为分散的氢炭提供成核和生长位点，这些氢炭在食品浪费期间形成的盐和2）使用表面活性剂在热处理过程中使用表面活性剂的使用将在热处理过程中打开盐水的毛孔，以提高热量均衡速度，以提高Mesoporsorcor seprace seferc seferc seferc seferc seferc seferc and cress＆corter croment croments＆cress interc and cress interc。研究的具体目标是1）在表面活性剂辅助HTC期间对氢炭形成的机械研究； 2）开发和验证处理过程，以去除氢气中的金属杂质； 3）研究合成和纯化的氢炭的化学热处理以产生介孔碳； 4）进行生命周期评估（LCA）和技术经济分析（TEA），以评估从食品废物中生产中孔碳的环境影响和经济可行性，用于超级电容器制造和储能应用。 To implement the education and training goals of the project, the PIs propose to leverage existing programs at Old Dominion University (ODU) and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) to 1) recruit and mentor graduate and undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to work on the project and 2) develop and implement outreach activities to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM education including annual workshops at ODU and SDSMT that focus on the食物浪费转化为高价值产品的科学和工程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响标准，被认为值得通过评估来提供支持。