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From Waste to Energy Storage: Moderately Porous, N-doped Biochar from Microwave Pyrolysis of Watermelon Peel for Supercapacitor Applications
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Energy Storage
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1714733
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
References
[1] Ferrero, G.A., Fuertes, A.B., Sevilla, M. (2015). From soybean residue to advanced supercapacitors, Sci. Rep. 5, 16618. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep16618.
[2] Sanwiriya, P., & Suleiman, N. (2019). The effects of drying method and temperature on the nutritional quality of watermelon rinds. In International Food Research Journal (Vol. 26, Issue 3).
[3] John Lo, M. C., Abigail Pesebre, M. C., Jrace Riza, J. C., Bianca Samson, E. N., & Christine Cruz, A. O. (2019). CHARACTERIZATION OF POWDERED PECTIN FROM WATERMELON (Citrullus lanatus) RIND. ANTORCHA, 6(2).
[4] Kim, Y.-M., Jae, J., Lee, H. W., Han, T. U., Lee, H., Park, S. H., Kim, S., Watanabe, C., & Park, Y.-K. (2016). Ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis of citrus fruit peels over mesoporous MFI and Al-MCM-41. Energy Conversion and Management, 125, 277–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2016.02.065
How to cite this paper
@article{1714733,
author = {Hafsat Nababa Abdulmumin, Muhammad Auwal Sa'ad , Sadiya Ahmad Muhammad },
title = {From Waste to Energy Storage: Moderately Porous, N-doped Biochar from Microwave Pyrolysis of Watermelon Peel for Supercapacitor Applications},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {8},
pages = {2066-2073},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1714733.pdf},
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},
month = {February},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I8-1714733}
}