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.

美国生产的食物有三分之一以上被浪费掉了。这些浪费的食物中约94%最终进入了垃圾填埋场、焚烧炉和市政污水处理系统。在垃圾填埋场，食物垃圾的分解会产生温室气体(甲烷和二氧化碳)和其他可能造成土壤、空气和水污染的副产品。由于食物垃圾是一种可再生的有机碳来源，可以支持循环经济，因此迫切需要将食物垃圾转化为高价值产品的新的、具有成本效益的过程。该项目的主要目标是探索将无骨/均质食物垃圾转化为介孔碳，用于制造超级电容器和储能应用的电极。为了推进这一目标，首席调查员(PI)建议设计、评估和优化一种新的两步法工艺，包括表面活性剂辅助的水热碳化(HTC)，以生产加氢焦前驱体材料，然后进行热处理，以制备电极级介孔碳材料，用于制备具有高比表面积(2000 m2/g)和高电容(275/F/g)的超级电容器。该项目的成功完成将通过产生新的数据和基础知识来促进将食物垃圾转化为用于超级电容器和储能应用的介孔碳，从而造福社会。还将通过学生教育和培训为社会带来更多好处，包括指导老道明大学的一名研究生和南达科他州矿业与技术学院的一名研究生。食物垃圾是一种很有前途的资源和推动循环经济的原料。然而，与食物垃圾的处理和转化为有价值的有机化合物相关的几个挑战包括其高水分含量、不同的成分以及存在无机杂质。水热碳化(HTC)可以利用水作为反应介质，是一种很有前途的将厨余垃圾转化为高价值有机产品的方法。在这个项目中，首席研究人员(PI)将探索表面活性剂辅助的HTC将均质和无骨的食物垃圾转化为加氢焦，然后对产生的加氢焦进行热处理，以生成用于超级电容器和储能应用的电极级介孔碳。这项研究的指导假设是：1)表面活性剂胶束在水热介质中的自组装将为餐厨垃圾高温合成过程中形成的分散氢焦提供成核和生长场所；2)表面活性剂的使用将在热处理过程中打开氢焦的孔，以改善介孔、比表面积和离子嵌入。这项研究的具体目标是：1)开展表面活性剂辅助高温合成过程中氢焦形成的机理研究；2)开发和验证从加氢焦中去除金属杂质的处理工艺；3)研究合成和纯化的氢焦的化学热处理以生成介孔碳；以及4)进行生命周期评估(LCA)和技术经济分析(TEA)，以评估利用餐厨垃圾生产用于超级电容器制造和储能应用的介孔碳的环境影响和经济可行性。为了实现该项目的教育和培训目标，PIS建议利用老道明大学(ODU)和南达科他州矿业与技术学院(SDSMT)的现有计划来1)招募和指导来自代表性不足群体的研究生和本科生参与该项目，以及2)开发和实施外联活动，以促进STEM教育的多样性、公平性和包容性，包括在ODU和SDSMT举办的侧重于将食物垃圾转化为高价值产品的科学和工程方面的年度研讨会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。