Manganese Oxide Derived from a Spent Zn–C Battery as a Catalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

The generation of efficient, cheap and easily available water splitting catalysts, in particular for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is vital to the development of sustainable energy sources. Primary batteries, especially alkaline and ZnÀ C batteries, mostly end-up in landfill due to their short lifespan which aggravates health and poses environmental threats. To address these issues, this work establishes a sustainable route for the generation of Manganese oxide (Mn 3 O 4 ) from spent ZnÀ C batteries as a catalyst for the OER under alkaline conditions. A thermal transformation study is conducted here at 900°C and 800°C under controlled atmosphere to generate Mn 3 O 4 nano-particles from waste ZnÀ C batteries which are investigated as a potential OER catalyst. Mn 3 O 4 particle synthesis was confirmed by XRD, Raman, FTIR, TEM and EDS analysis. The electrochemical performance demonstrated a low overpotential of 360 mV to reach 10 mA cm À 2 with a Tafel slope of 64 mV dec À 1 indicating good activity under alkaline conditions. Thus, the generation of Mn 3 O 4 from a spent ZnÀ C battery that can be employed as a catalyst for the OER is a promising path not only for the effective extraction of resources from battery waste, but also for the exploitation of using extracted materials in advanced technology applications.[a] Dr. R. Farzana, Prof. V. Sahajwalla

Waste to wealth: direct utilization of spent materials for electrocatalysis and energy storage

“…Rifat Farzana et al established a sustainable route for the fabrication of manganese oxide (Mn 3 O 4 ) from spent Zn–C batteries under alkaline conditions, which was utilized as a electrocatalyst for the OER. 81…”

“…Rifat Farzana et al established a sustainable route for the fabrication of manganese oxide (Mn 3 O 4 ) from spent Zn-C batteries under alkaline conditions, which was utilized as a electrocatalyst for the OER. 81 Biomass for OER electrocatalysts. Biomass is a kind of sustainable and economical material for preparing OER electrocatalyst.…”

Repurposing metal containing wastes and mass-produced materials as electrocatalysts for water electrolysis

“…83 Significant advantages include low toxicity and good corrosion resistance, however improvements in activity are still required. Farzana et al 84 demonstrated a sustainable pathway to derive manganese oxide from a spent Zn–C cell and employed it as a catalyst for the OER under alkaline conditions. The recovered manganese oxide in the form of Mn 3 O 4 was immobilized on a stainless steel (SS) substrate which exhibited an onset potential of 1.51 V vs. RHE and a low overpotential of 360 mV for the OER in 0.1 M KOH (Fig.…”

Repurposing the current collector of a car battery module into a bifunctional electrode for overall electrochemical water splitting

“…10,11 However, their cost, scarcity and use in many other applications has put them on the endangered elements list, 12 and will therefore slow the widespread deployment of electrolysers that wish to use these catalysts. Therefore, studies on transition metal oxides/hydroxides like Ni, Mn, Co and Fe for the OER 4,[13][14][15][16][17][18] and metal-based carbides, 19 metal-borides, 20,21 transition metal phosphides 22 and transition metal chalcogenides (sulphides and selenides) 23,24 for the HER as alternative electrocatalysts have gained signicant attention. A more recent development is the synthesis of bifunctional materials that can act as both HER and OER electrocatalysts [25][26][27][28][29] which can help simplify the catalyst manufacturing process for electrolysers.…”

“…41,42 For example, Chen et al, 43 converted LiCoO 2 from spent lithium-ion batteries into efficient electrocatalysts for the OER. Babar et al, 44 developed a pathway to utilise e-waste from waste copper wires with efficient OER performance while Farzana et al, 15 synthesised Mn 3 O 4 from a spent Zn-C battery, with high electrochemical performance for the OER in an alkaline electrolyte.…”