Transforming Tamarind Waste Into an Energy Source for Vehicles

Dec, 2021 - By WMR

According to recent research, a worldwide Consortium of researchers has found a method that is unique converted tamarind shells into a power supply for vehicles

A group of international scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore that is (NTU) discovered an easy method to cope with the environmental problem. The experts converted the waste material into carbon nanosheets, which are an essential component of supercapacitors - energy storage devices that can be found in cars, buses, electric cars, trains, and elevators by processing the tamarind shells that are full of carbon. The research reflects NTU's dedication to deal with humanity’s grand challenges on sustainability as an ingredient of its 2025 plan that is strategic which seeks to accelerate the interpretation of research discoveries into innovations that mitigate the effect on the surroundings.

The team, composed of scientists from NTU Singapore, the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in Norway, and Alagappa University in India, believes that these nanosheets, when scaled up, could be an eco-friendly alternative with their industrially produced counterparts, and reduce waste during the time that is same. The tamarind carbon nanosheets exhibited good electrical conductivity and stability that is thermal. What is more, the production process was less energy-intensive compared to the procedure needed for making nanosheets out of widely used hemp fibers. The materials initially have to heat at over 180 ºC (356 ºF) every day and night, after which they are baked in a furnace such as the tamarind pods in that procedure.

Doing so converted the powder into carbon nanosheets, which are ultra-thin layers of carbon. The tamarind shell-derived nanosheets additionally showed good stability that is thermal electric conductivity, making them promising choices for power storage space. They're also working on reducing the power necessary for the manufacturing process, making it greener, and are searching to boost the electrochemical properties of the nanosheets.