Application of palm oil frond activated carbon for biobattery electrodes

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effect of NaOH concentration and immersion time on the activation of carbon from the oil palm frond, specifically focussing on the surface morphology and characteristics as electrodes for biobattery application. Carbonization and NaOH activation are carried out at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 M at different immersion times of 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 hour. Moreover, the activated carbon was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope to observe the morphology, and the Brunauer–Emett–Teller (method was used to measure the surface area of activated carbon). Furthermore, another outcome of this study is the development of a prototype biobattery. At 1 M, the optimal concentration of NaOH was observed, producing the highest surface area of 336.493 m2g−1 and an electric potential of 0.653 V. On the other hand, the optimal immersion time was 30 hour with the highest surface area of 396 808 m2g−1 and an electric potential of 0.902 V.