\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe consortium \u2013 composed of scientists from NTU Singapore, as well as\u00a0the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in Norway, and\u00a0Alagappa\u00a0University in India\u00a0\u2013 is confident that when scaled up, the nanosheets could present an environmentally friendly replacement to industrially produced nanosheets, as well as cutting down waste in the process.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nStudy lead,\u00a0Assistant Professor\u00a0Cuong\u00a0Dang, of\u00a0NTU\u2019s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, explained:\u00a0\u201cThrough a series of analysis, we found that the performance of our tamarind shell-derived nanosheets was comparable to their industrially made counterparts in terms of porous structure and electrochemical properties. The process to make the nanosheets is also the standard method to produce active carbon nanosheets.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nProfessor G. Ravi, Head, Department of Physics, who co-authored the study with Asst Prof Dr R.\u00a0Yuvakkumar, who are both from\u00a0Alagappa\u00a0University, said: \u201cThe use of tamarind shells may reduce the amount of space required for landfills, especially in regions in Asia such as India, one of the world\u2019s largest producers of tamarind, which is also grappling with waste disposal issues.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCarbon nanosheets for energy storage devices<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\nTamarind shells are abundant in carbon and permeable in nature, meaning they are an ideal material from which to manufacture carbon nanosheets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn order to\u00a0produce the carbon nanosheets, the team began by washing tamarind fruit shells and drying them at 100\u00b0C for approximately six hours, and then proceeding to grind them into powder.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFollowing this, they baked the powder in a furnace for 150 minutes at temperatures between 700 and 900\u00b0C, with oxygen deficiency, to convert them into ultrathin sheets of carbon known as nanosheets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCurrently, carbon nanosheets are generally produced by industrial hemp fibres.\u00a0However, they\u00a0must\u00a0be heated at over 180\u00b0C for 24 hours, which is\u00a0four times longer than that of tamarind shells, and at a higher temperature.\u00a0As well as this, the\u00a0hemp\u00a0must be\u00a0additionally\u00a0exposed\u00a0to intense heat to convert them into carbon nanosheets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe tamarind shell-derived nanosheets also exhibited good thermal stability and electric conductivity, making them promising alternatives for energy storage devices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nProfessor\u00a0Dhayalan\u00a0Velauthapillai, Head of the research group for Advanced Nanomaterials for Clean Energy and Health Applications at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, who participated in the study,\u00a0added: \u201cCarbon nanosheets comprise of layers of carbon atoms arranged in interconnecting hexagons, like a honeycomb. The secret behind their\u00a0<\/span>energy\u00a0<\/span>energy<\/span>–<\/span>storing capabilities lies in their porous structure leading to\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>large surface area which help<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0the material to store large amounts of electric charges.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGoing forward, the scientists are\u00a0hoping\u00a0to\u00a0investigate\u00a0<\/span>larger\u00a0<\/span>larger<\/span>–<\/span>scale production of the carbon nanosheets with agricultural partners. They are also working\u00a0to lessen\u00a0the\u00a0amount of\u00a0energy\u00a0required\u00a0for the production process, making it more environmentally friendly, and are seeking to\u00a0enhance\u00a0the electrochemical properties of the nanosheets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0group also wishes\u00a0to\u00a0investigate\u00a0the\u00a0possibility\u00a0of\u00a0employing\u00a0different types of fruit skins or shells to produce carbon nanosheets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An international consortium of scientists has discovered a novel way to convert tamarind shells into an energy source for vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":13187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24433,785],"tags":[550,24163,24134,24206],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Utilising tamarind shells as an energy source for vehicles\u00a0<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n