Engineered Monolithic Biocarbon as Next Generation Low-cost High-performance Nanoporous Carbon Materials for Sustainability

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Biocarbon is related to biochar as both are rooted in biomass, but differs in their carbon contents (biocarbon > 90 wt% C vs biochar ~ 60-80 wt% C) and in their intended applications. Biocarbon monoliths, specifically, have a continuous carbon matrix and morphological features that resemble their biomass precursors. Chemically and structurally, it belongs to the family of nanoporous carbons (NPCs) in which carbon nanotubes (CNTs) bundles or forests and integrated graphene sheets (IGSs) are well-known members. While biochar has been widely used for soil amendment and as carbon-neutral solid fuel since ancient time, the research in biocarbon monoliths as a functional material is still at its infancy. It took nature multiple millions of years to develop and perfect the hierarchical, inter-connected morphological structures that efficiently deliver water and nutrients from root to individual cells and support the life of biota such as a tree. When biomass is transformed into biocarbon, much of these morphological features are preserved. The long-term, overarching goal of this research program is to transform woody biomass - a hugely abundant, under-exploited natural resource - into engineered biocarbon monoliths - a new class of low-cost, high-performance nanoporous carbon materials, for a wide range of applications including novel water purification technologies and large-scale high-efficiency energy storage devices. The anticipated advances will lead to the creation of a new class of NPC materials that is more cost-effective and readily scalable. They can be used to directly address two of the greatest challenges the world is facing - sustainable energy supply and climate change. The creation and deployment of engineered biocarbon monoliths will substantially lower the cost and enhance the performance of NPC materials in existing and emerging applications and potentially open completely new application areas. For example, engineered biocarbon monoliths will enable the large-scale, high-performance energy storage devices that facilitate the high-efficiency utilization of energy from renewable sources (e.g. solar and wind). Since carbon in biocarbon originates from the atmosphere and is chemically stable under ambient condition, the large-scale utilization of biocarbon and, biochar in general, represents a new strategy for alleviating climate change. The anticipated advances from this research program will help make this new strategy even more impactful. This research program not only possesses tremendous innovation potential in creating new materials and technologies, but also is particularly relevant to Canada - a country blessed with rich biomass resources from forestry and agriculture sectors.