IIT Madras Researchers Plan to Turn Paddy Waste into Supercapacitors

The researchers are creating a new 'Farm-Energy Synergy' by working with organic waste, specifically kitchen trash, to create usable activated carbon, a critical component in the production of supercapacitors. This strategy has the potential to significantly reduce stubble burning and other farm waste burning in North India. 

Supercapacitors constructed from activated carbon derived from paddy waste provide numerous benefits to consumers in the electronics, energy, and agricultural sectors, and can aid in the development of self-sufficiency in the supercapacitors industry. Self-sufficiency in supercapacitors and supercapacitor-based energy storage technology will boost the country's IP generation and employment. In India, the total amount of rice trash created is 760 lakh metric tonnes per year.

Farmers believe that burning straw is the most cost-effective and efficient alternative to dumping straw into the soil. This causes significant pollution and a serious ecological problem. Furthermore, burning limits the possible use of biomass. The anticipated loss for India alone linked with this approach to farm waste management is roughly Rs 92,600 crore.

Researchers at IIT Madras have already demonstrated the conversion of bio-waste into biomass (such as vegetable waste) to activated carbon and used it to create supercapacitor electrode materials. The same process can be used to convert paddy trash into usable activated carbon. The plan for the future is to take the technology now being used to create activated carbon and investigate production scales.

Dr Tiju Thomas, Associate Professor, Department of Metallurgical and Materials, IIT Madras, is in charge of this project. The Institute is seeking CSR Partners to assist in scaling up the initiative and benefiting the country as a whole. Dr. Thomas explained the fundamental benefits of this technology, saying, "The solution that we are identifying is a well-defined process."

It will enable the conversion of the country's paddy waste to commercial standard carbon material and the use of the activated carbon to manufacture supercapacitors that meet market standards (e.g., 4 Wh kg-1 for supercapacitors with a 5 V range). The material will be implemented in the form of a hybrid energy storage device based on supercapacitors."

Activated carbon is useful not just in the energy sector, but also in water treatment, pharmaceuticals, and biochar manufacturing, among other applications. The technologies being developed at IIT Madras are relevant in both the energy and mobility sectors. Electric vehicles, for example, could benefit from supercapacitors created in the campus lab.