From Waste to Energy Storage: Moderately Porous, N-doped Biochar from Microwave Pyrolysis of Watermelon Peel for Supercapacitor Applications
Abstract
The microwave pyrolysis of watermelon peel at 250 °C yielded an extremely low solid residue (4.0 wt.%), indicating that the applied thermal conditions favored devolatilization rather than carbon conservation, making them suboptimal for targeted biochar production. Nonetheless, the resulting carbonaceous material exhibited a moderate specific surface area (~388 m² g⁻¹) and predominantly microporous structure with an average pore width of 1.64 nm, features favorable for charge storage. Its low pore volume (0.096 cm³ g⁻¹), however, limits immediate applicability as a high-capacitance electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) electrode. To unlock its potential, post-synthesis activation—particularly chemical treatments to enhance surface area and pore volume while retaining nitrogen-derived heteroatom doping is recommended. Such optimization could introduce additional pseudocapacitance and broaden applicability to supercapacitors, adsorption, soil amendment, and catalysis. Overall, the study validates watermelon peel as a promising feedstock for functional porous carbons and highlights the need for process intensification and targeted activation to improve yield and electrochemical performance.
Keywords
Biomass, Pyrolysis, Microwaves. Biochar, Supercapacitor
Citations
IRE Journals:
Hafsat Nababa Abdulmumin, Muhammad Auwal Sa'ad , Sadiya Ahmad Muhammad "From Waste to Energy Storage: Moderately Porous, N-doped Biochar from Microwave Pyrolysis of Watermelon Peel for Supercapacitor Applications" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 8 2026 Page 2066-2073 https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1714733
IEEE:
Hafsat Nababa Abdulmumin, Muhammad Auwal Sa'ad , Sadiya Ahmad Muhammad
"From Waste to Energy Storage: Moderately Porous, N-doped Biochar from Microwave Pyrolysis of Watermelon Peel for Supercapacitor Applications" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(8) https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1714733
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