Introduction
With the rapid development of the world economy, non-renewable energy sources are consumed in large quantities and bring a series of environmental problems. The importance of sophisticated, high-quality use of non-renewable energy sources such as coal is becoming increasingly important [1]. Meanwhile, green and renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, tidal and geothermal have attracted much attention. However, these renewable energy sources suffer from variability, regionality and high cost, which limit their widespread application. Therefore, it is very important to develop efficient and environmentally friendly technologies for energy conversion and storage [2], [3], [4], [5]. Various energy conversion and storage technologies have been developed, such as solar cells [6], [7], [8], [9], fuel cells [10], [11], [12] and supercapacitors [13]. , [14], [15], [16], [17], Lithium ion batteries [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], Sodium ion batteries [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], potassium ion batteries [31], [32], [33], [34] and Li-S batteries [35 ], [36], [37], [38] and Na-S batteries [38], [39] etc.
Carbon materials have been extensively studied due to their high specific surface area (SSA), tunable pore structure, and excellent chemical stability. Typically, carbon materials are made from fossil fuels using energy-intensive, environmentally unfriendly and expensive synthetic processes. In recent years, countries around the world are paying more and more attention to saving energy and reducing emissions. In order to achieve the goal of "carbon neutrality", great efforts have been made in the development strategy of green environmental protection worldwide. As a green raw material, biomass has the advantages of abundant, renewable, ecologically sound and cheap sources. Carbon materials derived from renewable biomass have attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. Biomass is any organic organism (living or dead) that inherently produces chemical energy, e.g. terrestrial and aquatic organisms, municipal solid waste, animal waste, forestry and agricultural waste [40], [41], [42]. When this waste is dumped or incinerated, it not only pollutes the environment but also causes climate change by increasing CO emissions.2into the atmosphere, which goes against the sustainable development strategy of our modern society. The maximum possible conversion of the carbon stored in these biomass resources into functional carbon materials opens a new opportunity to convert biomass residues into high value-added products. Compared to fossil fuel-based carbon materials, biomass-based carbon materials have the following notable advantages: renewable capacity; biogenetic materials with unique structural advantages that can be produced by a simple biomodeling method. intrinsically porous or hierarchically porous structure that can provide a highly accessible surface and a wide pathway for electrolyte ions; Most biomasses contain N, S and P elements, so self-doping can occur in the synthesis process through the formation of active additives sites in biomass-based carbon materials. These properties make biomass-based carbon materials one of the most promising functional materials in the fields of energy conversion and storage.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for an updated review on the rational design and fabrication of biomass-based functional carbon materials (BFCs) with multidimensional structures and their applications in energy conversion and storage, as shown in Fig. 1. First, in this review, methods for BFC synthesis are described, including carbonization, activation, and functionalization. Second, the multidimensional structures and unique properties of BFCs are presented and highlighted. Third, the advances in the application of BFCs in the fields of energy conversion and storage in recent years are summarized. This review then provides a detailed analysis of how to determine the relationships between the structure and performance of BFCs. This helps researchers to logically classify the rational design and controlled synthesis of high-performance BFCs in different research fields. Application. Finally, the main challenges and opportunities that remain for BFCs going forward are discussed and outlined.
unit excerpts
Biomass-based production of functional carbon materials
As a renewable resource, biomass has received significant attention in energy conversion and storage due to its abundant sources, diverse structures, low cost, and renewable energy. In order to achieve high added value, biomass can be converted into carbon materials. In general, biomass-based carbon materials are manufactured using carbonization, activation, and functionalization methods. The perfect combination of these methods can convert biomass into valuable carbon materials [43]. Porous carbons with
BFC Structures
After billions of years of natural evolution, the organizational structure of natural organisms has been perfectly preserved and inherited. Starting from its original form, carbon obtained from biomass can be perfectly modified by physical or chemical methods. The unique structures are formed as spherical, tubular, plate or honeycomb carbon, etc. According to the structure of biomass-derived carbon materials, their structure can be divided into four categories: 0 D, 1 D, 2 D and 3
Applications of BFCs in energy conversion
Biochar-based catalysts can be used for the catalytic conversion of biomass feedstocks into chemicals. In this section, we summarize current efforts to use biomass-based carbon materials for carbon dioxide reduction, hydrogen evolution, photocatalytic pollutant removal, water splitting, and other reactions related to energy conversion.
The supercapacitor
With the rapid growth of the portable electronics market, there is a strong demand for green, sustainable and efficient energy sources. Some efficient energy storage and conversion systems such as batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors (SCs) have been shown to play an important role in our daily life [423], [424]. Supercapacitors are energy storage devices with high power density, fast charging and discharging, long lifetime and high coulombic efficiency
structure for money
Using the carbonization, activation, and functionalization methods described in this article, biomass-based functionalized carbon materials with different structures have been prepared. Zero-dimensional carbon materials feature better fluidity and dispersion, shorter ion transport paths, and a space-saving packing structure. One-dimensional carbon materials have high aspect ratio and linear rectilinear channels. Two-dimensional carbon materials have a unique layered structure. 3D carbon materials
Summary and Outlook
The production and application of biomass-based carbon materials is progressing rapidly, and great progress has been made in the areas of energy conversion and storage in recent years. However, there are still some challenges to face in the future.
The rational design and controllable synthesis of multidimensional functional biomass-based carbon materials is the inevitable trend in the development of new biomass-based carbon materials for energy conversion and storage in the world
Declaration of Competing Interests
The authors declare that they are not aware of any competing financial interests or personal relationships that may appear to influence the work described in this article.
thanks
This work was partially funded byNational Science Foundation of China(NO.51502108).
Xiaomin Yangreceived his Ph.D. in 2010 from Dalian University of Technology, China. She is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Chemistry, Jilin University, China. She was also a joint PhD student at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, in 2009 and a visiting scholar at Purdue University, USA, in 2010-2011. His research interests mainly focus on the synthesis of biomass-based functional carbon materials and their applications in energy conversion and storage.
Xiaomin Yangreceived his Ph.D. in 2010 from Dalian University of Technology, China. She is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Chemistry, Jilin University, China. She was also a joint PhD student at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, in 2009 and a visiting scholar at Purdue University, USA, in 2010-2011. His research interests mainly focus on the synthesis of biomass-based functional carbon materials and their applications in energy conversion and storage.
Jieshan Qiureceived his Ph.D. in Organic Chemical Engineering from Dalian University of Technology, China in 1990. He is currently the Cheung-Kong Distinguished Professor of Coal Science and Chemical Engineering and Dean of the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Chemical Technology in Beijing, China. Professor Qiu is an internationally recognized researcher and thought leader in the fields of carbon science and chemical engineering. His research covers both fundamental and applied aspects of carbon materials and science, with an emphasis on carbon materials production methods and their applications in energy conversion and storage, catalysis and environmental protection.
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FAQs
What is the conversion of biomass to carbon? ›
Carbonization is a method to convert biomass into carbon at a temperature of 300oC for 2 h. The activation is a method of impregnation of a material precursor using a chemical solution, in this case, iron (III) chloride solution is used at a certain time period.
Can carbon based products be made from biomass? ›Biomass waste has known as a new precursor for the production of carbon-based materials due to its carbon richness, low cost, ease to access, ubiquitous, renewable and environmental-friendliness.
What is the energy storage of biomass? ›Biomass contains stored chemical energy from the sun. Plants produce biomass through photosynthesis. Biomass can be burned directly for heat or converted to renewable liquid and gaseous fuels through various processes.
Why is biomass a better alternative to oil? ›Bioenergy, or energy derived from biomass, is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels because it can be produced from renewable sources, such as plants and waste, that can be continuously replenished.
How is energy converted from biomass? ›Most electricity generated from biomass is produced by direct combustion. Biomass is burned in a boiler to produce high-pressure steam. This steam flows over a series of turbine blades, causing them to rotate. The rotation of the turbine drives a generator, producing electricity.
What are the advantages of using biomass as an energy source? ›- Biomass is always and widely available as a renewable source of energy. ...
- It is carbon neutral. ...
- It reduces the overreliance of fossil fuels. ...
- Is less expensive than fossil fuels. ...
- Biomass production adds a revenue source for manufacturers. ...
- Less garbage in landfills.
The cons of biomass energy
In addition to CO2, burning biomass fuels results in the release of various other harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, NOx (nitrogen oxides), and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which all contribute to air pollution.
Plant efficiency is around 30% depending on plant size.
What are the pros and cons of biomass energy? ›| Pros of biomass | Cons of biomass |
|---|---|
| Renewable | High costs |
| Waste reduction | Space requirements |
| Reliability | Some adverse environmental impact |
The most common biomass materials used for energy are plants, wood, and waste. These are called biomass feedstocks. Biomass energy can also be a non-renewable energy source.
What are the four ways energy can be stored in biomass? ›
There are now four ways to release the energy stored in biomass: burning, bacterial decay, fermentation, and conversion to gas/liquid fuel.
What are 2 disadvantages of biomass? ›The main disadvantages of biomass energy are that it is expensive, requires a lot of space, it still releases greenhouse gases, it can have a negative impact on the surrounding environment, and it is inefficient in terms of how much energy it takes to create electricity.
Who uses biomass energy? ›Biomass energy supports U.S. agricultural and forest-product industries. The main biomass feedstocks for power are paper mill residue, lumber mill scrap, and municipal waste.
What are four examples of biomass? ›Examples include corn stover (stalks, leaves, husks, and cobs), wheat straw, oat straw, barley straw, sorghum stubble, and rice straw.
What is the best biomass to use for energy? ›Wood wastes of all types make excellent biomass fuels and can be used in a wide variety of biomass technologies. Combustion of woody fuels to generate steam or electricity is a proven technology and is the most common biomass-to-energy process.
Why is biomass important? ›Biomass has many benefits, the primary one being that it cannot be depleted like fossil fuels. With an abundance of plants on Earth, biomass could be a primary source of renewable energy that's used as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
Is biomass a renewable energy source? ›Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from plant- and algae-based materials that include: Crop wastes. Forest residues.
Where is biomass found? ›Biomass comes from both human and natural activities. By-products from most industries, including timber, agriculture, naturally occurring forest residues, household wastes and landfills, are all viable sources of biomass energy materials.
Is biomass energy good or bad for the environment? ›As a result, the UN and many countries think that biomass energy is acceptable. But scientists have proven that burning biomass is worse than burning coal for energy production. And ultimately, it just leads to more carbon dioxide emissions, and more global warming.
What is the largest disadvantage of biomass as an energy source? ›Biomass fuels are mainly burned on inefficient open fires and traditional stoves. In many cases, the demand for biomass fuels far outweighs sustainable supply. This can contribute to deforestation, land degradation and desertification.
What is the biggest challenge with biomass fuels? ›
Problems of biomass large scale supply
One of the biggest problems related to biomass large scale supply is the energy density. Briefly, if biomass moisture of conventional wood is 30%, this means that every 1 ton of wood transported, 300 kg are water.
Producing electricity is only one reason to burn MSW. Burning waste also reduces the amount of material that would probably be buried in landfills. Waste-to-energy plants reduce 2,000 pounds of garbage to ash weighing about 300 pounds to 600 pounds, and they reduce the volume of waste by about 87%.
Where is biomass most effective? ›In tropical climate waste biomass is decomposed rapidly to form organic matter, due to the ideal temperatures and humid. These ideal climatic conditions also help plants to grow trees grow fast using the nutrients, so most of the nutrients in an tropical system are locked in the trees and not present in the soil.
What is one bad thing about biomass? ›“Biomass is far from “clean” – burning biomass creates air pollution that causes a sweeping array of health harms, from asthma attacks to cancer to heart attacks, resulting in emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths.”
Where does biomass energy come from? ›Biomass is a renewable energy source, generated from burning wood, plants and other organic matter, such as manure or household waste. It releases carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned, but considerably less than fossil fuels.
Is biomass energy good for the future? ›If we are to deliver a 6.7 percent annual reduction in emissions by 2050 — as required to achieve net zero — negative emissions are essential, and sustainably sourced biomass is mission-critical. Leveraging sustainably sourced biomass is a vital solution to mitigate climate change.
Is biomass a waste material? ›Biomass wastes commonly consist of forestry residues, agricultural wastes, animal wastes, industrial wastes, municipal solid wastes (MSW), food processing wastes and so on [3,6].
What are 5 biomass materials? ›We use four types of biomass today—wood and agricultural products,solid waste, landfill gas and biogas, and alcohol fuels (like Ethanol or Biodiesel). Most biomass used today is home grown energy. Wood—logs, chips, bark, and sawdust—accounts for about 44 percent of biomass energy.
What is the largest source of biomass in the world? ›Apart from bacteria, the total global live biomass has been estimated as 550 or 560 billion tonnes C, most of which is found in forests.
What happens when biomass is burned? ›Burning either fossil fuels or biomass releases carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas. However, the plants that are the source of biomass for energy capture almost the same amount of CO2 through photosynthesis while growing as is released when biomass is burned, which can make biomass a carbon-neutral energy source.
What happens after biomass is burned? ›
When biomass is burned, this stored energy is released as heat. Burning biomass releases carbon dioxide. However, plants also take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and use it to grow their leaves, flowers, branches, and stems. That same carbon dioxide is returned to the air when the plants are burned.
What are 2 ways to conserve biomass? ›Saving biomass is possible by utilisation of energy efficient techniques such as energy saving stoves, but also through processing of biomass towards higher energy density. The higher the energy density of the biomass product used, the higher the outcome and the lower the mass of use for the same energy output.
Is biomass less efficient? ›Being a natural product created by Mother Nature, the efficiency of biomass production by photosynthesis is very low compared to other renewable sources, for example, photovoltaics.
What are 5 examples of biomass used today? ›- Fuel.
- Cosmetics and Perfumes.
- Food Additives and Nutritional Supplements.
- Detergents and Cleaning Products.
- Plastics and Other Materials.
Some examples of biomass fuels are wood, crops, manure, and some garbage. When burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat.
How is biomass created? ›Trees and plants absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis. The energy is trapped inside until the organic material is converted into other products that are used as sources of energy and materials. There are several kinds of biomass such as agricultural residues, purpose-grown energy crops, and wood.
What are the two main types of biomass? ›We use four types of biomass today: 1) wood and agricultural products; 2) solid waste; 3) landfill gas; and 4) alcohol fuels.
Does biomass cause pollution? ›Burning biomass emits large amounts of pollutants, just like burning other solid fuels such as coal. Burning organic material emits particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), lead, mercury, and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
What are the components of biomass? ›The chemical composition of biomass, whether it is lignocellulosic or herbaceous, can be characterized by five primary components: cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, extractives/volatiles, and ash.
What is the biomass conversion? ›Biomass conversion is a shared area between hydrogen production and biogas production. It is similar to coal gasification in terms of converting the original resource to a hydrogen-containing gas at high temperatures without combustion.
What is the conversion of biomass waste? ›
3.4 Human and animal biomass wastes
The most important processes to convert biomass wastes in energy are combustion, gasification, and biogas. Combustion is generally used for large industrial applications related to the fuel industry [57].
Per kWh produced, biomass fuel emits 230 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) on a life-cycle basis.
Is carbon 50% of biomass? ›Carbon constitutes approximately 50% the dry mass of trees and when wood from these trees is used to produce wood products the carbon is stored for life in that product.
What are 5 types of biomass? ›- Biomass Feedstocks. ...
- Dedicated Energy Crops. ...
- Agricultural Crop Residue. ...
- Forestry Residues. ...
- Algae. ...
- Wood Processing Residues. ...
- Sorted Municipal Waste. ...
- Wet Waste.
We use four types of biomass today—wood and agricultural products,solid waste, landfill gas and biogas, and alcohol fuels (like Ethanol or Biodiesel). Most biomass used today is home grown energy.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of biomass energy? ›| Pros of biomass | Cons of biomass |
|---|---|
| Renewable | High costs |
| Waste reduction | Space requirements |
| Reliability | Some adverse environmental impact |
Biomass wastes commonly consist of forestry residues, agricultural wastes, animal wastes, industrial wastes, municipal solid wastes (MSW), food processing wastes and so on [3,6].
Is biomass a recycling? ›Biomass is a sustainable fuel
Most biomass is produced from the recycling of materials or from their natural decomposition. Waste decomposes and produces methane gas, which is pumped into power plants to produce energy.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
The use of biomass energy has the potential to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Burning biomass releases about the same amount of carbon dioxide as burning fossil fuels.
Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source. Its initial energy comes from the sun, and plants or algae biomass can regrow in a relatively short amount of time. Trees, crops, and municipal solid waste are consistently available and can be managed sustainably.
Is biomass cheaper than fossil fuels? ›
The harvest, transportation and storage of organic matter can be costly and go beyond what other renewable sources need such as solar power. Regardless, biomass is still less expensive to harvest than it is to mine for fossil fuels.
What is 80% of biomass? ›Trees and other greenery make up 80% of all biomass
Measured in terms of carbon content (to factor out variable components like water), all life on Earth weighs about 550 gigatons.
One of the biggest problems related to biomass large scale supply is the energy density. Briefly, if biomass moisture of conventional wood is 30%, this means that every 1 ton of wood transported, 300 kg are water.
Which is 90% of world biomass? ›Bacteria include about 90% deep subsurface biomass (mostly in aquifers and below the seafloor), which have very slow metabolic activity and associated turnover times of several months to thousands of years (18–22).