Nanostructured electrodes with large surface area are essential for studying charge storage mechanisms in supercapacitors. Biomass‐based carbonaceous porous electrodes have proven to be good candidates for supercapacitor application. In this study, micropore and mesopore dominated carbon materials derived from Agave sisalana sisal waste were prepared through carbonization and chemical activation with ZnCl2. Scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction studies show that the microstructure and composition of the as‐prepared microporous carbon materials are influenced by adjusting the ZnCl2 to the carbon mass ratio. Sorption studies demonstrated a high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 1464 m2 g−1, type I isotherms for low temperature, type IV at 900 °C, and 99% micropore content in all the samples. The fabricated electrodes exhibited high specific capacitances of 497 F g−1at 5 mV s−1, which is indicative of our carbon materials’ strong potential for use in the production of high‐performance supercapacitors. Specific capacitance increased with increasing micropore surface areas.
Satellite images for the years 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, and questionnaire surveys were used to assess energy sources and demands as well as the impacts of wood fuel use to forest cover changes in Meru and Mwanga Districts. The major energy sources identified in the study areas include cow dung cake, firewood, charcoal, biogas, and liquefied petroleum gas. The total energy demands from these sources were 1400, 6289, 724 and 21 kg per day, respectively. Analysis from Landsat images showed variations in forest cover. The areas covered with forests in Meru District were found to be 1510, 1723, 1612 and 1327 ha for 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, respectively. The changes observed in Mwanga District were 31705, 31988, 17939 and 30960 ha for 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, respectively. From the findings it was observed that, the ongoing use of wood fuel in semi-arid areas of Meru and Mwanga Districts could deplete forests completely. The study concludes that charcoal and firewood consumptions are real threats to the long-term persistence of forests in Tanzania and proposes the use of renewable energy such as biogas for alleviating forest losses.
Keywords: Biogas, energy sources, Satellite images
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