Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1002/celc.202500008
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) Biochar cathodes for bioelectrochemical systems: understanding the effect of material heterogeneity on performance for abiotic hydrogen evolution reaction
Autor Pouresmaeil, S.; Schliermann, T.; Schmidt, M. ORCID logo ; Harnisch, F. ORCID logo ; Kretzschmar, J.
Quelle ChemElectroChem
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
Department MIBITECH
Seite von art. 2500008
Sprache englisch
Topic T7 Bioeconomy
Supplements https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1002%2Fcelc.202500008&file=celc70001-sup-0001-SuppData-S1.pdf
Keywords biochar; cathode; heterogeneity; overpotential; physiochemical characterization
Abstract Granular carbon-based cathodes in carbon dioxide-reducing bioelectrochemical systems (CO2-reducing BES) feature high biocompatibility and stability. Wood-based biochar is gaining popularity in (bio)electrochemical applications due to its sustainability and reduced environmental impact. Yet, previous studies primarily examined lab-scale biochars. This study investigates how heterogeneity of industrial-scale granular biochars (GBs) influences their electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the nexus of CO2-reducing BES. Significant variations are identified in overpotentials for HER at −1 mA cm−2 (η-1 mA cm−2) among the GB-based cathodes. Beechwood-derived GB pyrolyzed at 740 °C shows the lowest η-1 mA cm−2(223.6 ± 30.0 mV), outperforming birchwood-derived GB at 700 °C (503.5 ± 4.9 mV) and granular graphite (608.3 ± 19.5 mV). Despite its superior performance, beechwood-based GB shows high heterogeneity. Such heterogeneity underlies different physicochemical properties, likely due to uneven temperature distribution in industrial pyrolysis. The remarkable performance of beechwood-based GB pyrolyzed at 740 °C is attributed to its higher electrical conductivity, higher degree of carbonization, favorable H/C ratios, higher disorder in carbonaceous structure, and suitable porosity. The results highlight the influence of the wood type, the importance of systematic GB characterization, and the necessity to optimize industrial-scale biochar production to achieve homogeneous and high-performance biochar.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=31108
Pouresmaeil, S., Schliermann, T., Schmidt, M., Harnisch, F., Kretzschmar, J. (2025):
Biochar cathodes for bioelectrochemical systems: understanding the effect of material heterogeneity on performance for abiotic hydrogen evolution reaction
ChemElectroChem , art. 2500008 10.1002/celc.202500008