Sustainable Biomass Nanocarbons Produced in Vacuum Tubular Furnace and its Application for Electrochemical Production of Hydrogen Peroxide

• Grant number: 24/18076-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Luis Augusto Martins Ruotolo
• Grantee: Taynara Oliveira Silva
• Supervisor: Frank Marken
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Bath, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/08720-4 - Development of new gas diffusion electrode consisting of carbon from biomass precursors and their application for disinfection by hydrogen peroxide electrogenerated, BP.PD

Abstract

This research will introduce a novel approach to synthesizing carbon nanomaterials by utilizing a tubular furnace coupled with vacuum technology. The innovation will lie in the study of how vacuum conditions will influence the properties of carbon materials, particularly in their application for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) via the 2-electron pathway. This pathway will be crucial for the electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide (H¿O¿), a key compound in environmental remediation and industrial applications. By controlling the vacuum conditions during the pyrolysis of biomass, specifically orange peel, this research aims to investigate how the operational conditions affect the pore size, specific surface area, and carbon structure in order to understand how the properties of the as obtained carbons will impact the selectivity and catalytic efficiency for ORR towards 2-electron transfer process to generate H¿O¿. This study will represent a new avenue for future research, as the correlation between vacuum conditions and carbon properties in the context of ORR has not been thoroughly explored. The findings will have the potential to advance the development of more efficient, sustainable materials for electrochemical applications.