Insect-powered electrochemical capacitors: The potential of cricket biomass
Julien Lemieux,
Imran Aslam,
Vincent Lemmens,
Guy Van den Mooter,
Gordana Backović,
Samuel Eyley,
Wim Thielemans
Affiliations
Julien Lemieux
Sustainable Materials Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, campus Kulak Kortrijk, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, Kortrijk 8500, Belgium
Imran Aslam
Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Centre for Membrane Separations, Adsorption, Catalysis, and Spectroscopy for Sustainable Solutions, KU Leuven, Leuven 3001, Belgium
Vincent Lemmens
Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Centre for Membrane Separations, Adsorption, Catalysis, and Spectroscopy for Sustainable Solutions, KU Leuven, Leuven 3001, Belgium
Guy Van den Mooter
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Drug Delivery and Disposition, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg ON2, Herestraat 49 b921, Leuven 3000, Belgium
Gordana Backović
Sustainable Materials Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, campus Kulak Kortrijk, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, Kortrijk 8500, Belgium
Samuel Eyley
Sustainable Materials Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, campus Kulak Kortrijk, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, Kortrijk 8500, Belgium
Wim Thielemans
Sustainable Materials Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, campus Kulak Kortrijk, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, Kortrijk 8500, Belgium; Corresponding author.
Insect biomass, rich in chitin and chitosan, is a sustainable and abundant resource with substantial promise for advancing green energy storage solutions. In this study, we explored cricket flour as a biomass candidate for carbon electrodes in electrochemical capacitors, aiming at creating a material with a high nitrogen content upon carbonization. The optimized material boasted a specific surface area exceeding 3300 m2/g, with most pores falling within the 0.5–2 nm diameter range. In a symmetrical Swagelok-type cell, this material delivered exceptional performance, yielding capacitances of 273.5 F/g, 200.2 F/g, and 161.6 F/g at 1 A/g in 6 M KOH, 1 M H2SO4, and 9.2 M NaClO4 electrolytes, respectively. Furthermore, it showcased a capacity retention of 89.6 % and 87.9 % over 5000 cycles in 1 M H2SO4 and 6 M KOH, respectively. The cricket-based electrochemical capacitor exhibited robust cycling stability, suggesting its suitability for prolonged use. The resulting device demonstrated remarkably high specific capacitance, positioning it as a promising candidate for energy storage applications.
