FRACTIONATION AND UPGRADE OF ENDOCARP LIGNIN TO CARBON- SILICON NANOCOMPOSITES AS AN ANODE MATERIAL IN LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES

Makua C. Vin-Nnajiofor, Wenqi Li, Seth Debolt, Yang Tse Cheng, Jian Shi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

A holistic use of lignocellulosic biomass by converting lignin to high-value products and cellulose and hemicelluloses to biofuel will greatly enhance the economic viability of a biorefinery. In this study, a three-dimensional, interconnected carbon/silicon composite was synthesized from silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) with either deep eutectic solvent (DES) or alkaline pretreatment-extracted lignin from endocarp biomass. The endocarp lignin derived composite electrodes exhibited superior electrochemical performance in a half-coin cell lithium-ion battery setup. DES lignin derived C/Si NPs composite reached a discharging capacity of 1563 mAh g-1; while alkaline lignin derived C/Si NPs composite reaching a discharging capacity of 1605 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.72 A g-1. Despite the comparable electrochemical performance, DES pretreatment led to a higher overall sugar yield from the liquid streams after pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. This study demonstrates the utilization of endocarp lignin in electrochemical energy storage applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)509-516
Number of pages8
JournalApplied Engineering in Agriculture
Volume38
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Sustainability Challenge Area grant and multistate S1075 under accession number 1015068 and 1018315, respectively. We thank Udari Shyamika Kodithuwakku Arachchige and Dr. Doo-Young Kim in the Chemistry Department at University of Kentucky for their assistance on FTIR analysis.

Keywords

  • Anode
  • Lignin
  • Lithium-ion battery
  • Silicon nanoparticles

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