Cake rusk crumbs used to create supercapacitors


Team Udayavani, Oct 9, 2018, 12:28 PM IST

Chennai: Scientists have used cake rusk leftovers to develop low-cost supercapacitors — a electronic component that is used to store charge and has a wide range of applications in everyday modern devices.

Owing to the ever growing energy demand, electrochemical energy storage systems with higher energy and power densities such as lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors have attracted tremendous attention in recent years.

The researchers from SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Chennai wanted to create low cost alternatives by recycling waste materials and converting them into products that have high demand.

For a study published in the journal Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, they collected waste cake rusk crumbs from local bakeries and heated them in nitrogen gas to obtain highly porous carbon with very high surface area.

“The carbon materials obtained from Indian cake rusk have very high porosity, surface area and pore volumes which are superior than the other waste materials investigated,” M Sasidharan, a professor at SRM University, told PTI.

“The above attributes are very essential for percolation of electrolyte, and high charge storage in any electrical device,” said Sasidharan, principal investigator of the study.

Supercapacitors are devices that can store and deliver charge much faster than batteries, and tolerate many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries. 

It has widespread application from a range of devices such as smartphones, laptops and portable media players. They are also used as voltage stabilisers, in medical devices and as energy harvesters.

The device fabricated by the researchers can light up few LED bulbs. In future, the materials may be extended to high end applications, researchers said.

Sasidharan said that the research may bring down the cost of supercapacitors by 70 per cent, since the raw materials are inexpensive.

Any food waste which provide carbon materials with high porosity and surface area can be considered for this application, researchers said.

“Right now we are focusing on different farm wastes which can give better performance than the already studied rice husk, bagasse waste, waste tea, waste tire, puffed rice etc,” Sasidharan said.

The researchers are currently working on scaling up the production process to optimise it for commercial applications.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Eligible families won’t be inconvenienced with BPL card revision: Karnataka minister Muniyappa

Boy chokes to death after eating more than three pooris together

PWD, Google Maps officials booked in Bareilly bridge death case

WhatsApp, Gmail banned from use for transmission of official documents in Jammu and Kashmir

At 13 years, Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes IPL’s youngest-ever player

Wanted to kill Ajmal Kasab who caused so much of pain, recalls 26/11 terror attack victim

Two retired revenue officials among four arrested in land grabbing case in Jammu

Related Articles More

Study links overthinking to ‘constant communication’ between brain’s fear-centre, social behaviour

Mangaluru: Campco opposes WHO’s claim of arecanut being carcinogenic

10 month baby gets new heart, new life

World COPD Day: Know your lung function

As Delhi chokes with dangerous pollution levels, doctors warn of health risks for all

MUST WATCH

Coconut Flower

Prakash Belawadi

Naxal Leader Vikram Gowda

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar


Latest Additions

‘Allow teachers to discipline students’: Letter to CM Siddaramaiah

Eligible families won’t be inconvenienced with BPL card revision: Karnataka minister Muniyappa

Karnataka: BJP to begin official campaign on Waqf issue from December 4

Geethartha Chinthane 105: Shoka and Dukha are not same

Boy chokes to death after eating more than three pooris together

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.