Plastic pollution and water scarcity are urgent global challenges that demand sustainable solutions. Municipal solid waste (MSW), including plastic waste, is a crucial environmental challenge that contributes to global pollution and threatens ecosystems. MSW can be used in various applications beyond disposal, such as energy recovery systems, biogas production, the development of construction materials, and desalination. For instance, in interfacial solar evaporation (ISE), waste plastic efficiently produces water through solar-driven steam generation. Plastic materials possess properties such as low thermal conductivity and hydrophobicity that can enhance water evaporation efficiency. This review evaluates recent advances in plastic upcycling strategies and fabrication techniques for enhancing ISE. ISE systems using plastic garbage bags with direct repurposing reached a water evaporation rate of 8.96 kg⋅m−2⋅h−1. Repurposing plastic waste into solar evaporators, transparent solar stills, and insulation materials significantly improves water evaporation efficiency. In addition, the integration of plastic waste in ISE contributes to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), and Climate Action (SDG 13). Furthermore, integrating waste management strategies with innovative water purification technologies enables scholars to assess the potential of waste plastic in advancing ISE for more sustainable water evaporation.
{"title":"Valorization of plastic waste for interfacial solar evaporation: A sustainable pathway towards clean water generation","authors":"Shahd Sefelnasr , Maryam Nooman AlMallahi , Mahmoud Elgendi","doi":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.10.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.10.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plastic pollution and water scarcity are urgent global challenges that demand sustainable solutions. Municipal solid waste (MSW), including plastic waste, is a crucial environmental challenge that contributes to global pollution and threatens ecosystems. MSW can be used in various applications beyond disposal, such as energy recovery systems, biogas production, the development of construction materials, and desalination. For instance, in interfacial solar evaporation (ISE), waste plastic efficiently produces water through solar-driven steam generation. Plastic materials possess properties such as low thermal conductivity and hydrophobicity that can enhance water evaporation efficiency. This review evaluates recent advances in plastic upcycling strategies and fabrication techniques for enhancing ISE. ISE systems using plastic garbage bags with direct repurposing reached a water evaporation rate of 8.96 kg⋅m<sup>−2</sup>⋅h<sup>−1</sup>. Repurposing plastic waste into solar evaporators, transparent solar stills, and insulation materials significantly improves water evaporation efficiency. In addition, the integration of plastic waste in ISE contributes to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG<!--> <!-->6), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG<!--> <!-->12), and Climate Action (SDG<!--> <!-->13). Furthermore, integrating waste management strategies with innovative water purification technologies enables scholars to assess the potential of waste plastic in advancing ISE for more sustainable water evaporation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 243-255"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145516495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.mset.2025.11.001
Muhammad Suliman Khan , Xiping Chen , Yanhua Liu
The valorization of hazardous spent potlining (SPL) waste into functional ceramics remains a formidable challenge due to its thermodynamic inertness and structural heterogeneity. This study presents a novel mechanochemical–thermal synthesis route enabling phase-pure formation of (Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 grossular (GSR)) garnet directly from SPL, employing Na2CO3 and CaCO3 as mineralizing additives. Post-synthesis calcination at 1200–1300 °C (at 25 °C intervals) for 5 h facilitated complete transformation into a highly ordered cubic Ia-3d garnet phase. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed sequential carbonate decomposition and volatile evolution above 1100 °C, while XRD confirmed sharp reflections characteristic of GSR garnet crystallinity. SEM analysis of the product exhibited dense, polygonal microstructures with minimal porosity and an average grain size of 2.8 µm. Elemental profiling revealed thermally activated incorporation of Ca, Al, and Si, with maximal oxide stabilization (Al2O3, CaO, and SiO2). FTIR spectra showed distinct Si-O stretching (875–1083.5 cm−1) and bending (529.88 cm−1) modes, alongside Ca-O and Al-O lattice vibrations, confirming complete oxide incorporation. Optical spectroscopy indicated a strong UV absorption edge and an indirect bandgap of 4.86 eV, consistent with DFT-predicted 4.59 eV. First-principles calculations verified high thermodynamic stability (E0 = −34347.433 eV, B0 = 192.878 GPa, ΔHf = -5755 kJ/mol) and a lattice parameter of a = 12.16 Å. The material exhibited strong UV absorption (5.6 × 103 cm−1), dielectric constant (ɛ1 = 4.8), and refractive index (n = 1.8). This work pioneers a sustainable materials design strategy, merging waste remediation with the creation of optoelectronic garnet materials for next-generation energy-related optoelectronic and ceramic applications.
{"title":"Sustainable upcycling of spent potlining waste into grossular garnet materials for energy-related optoelectronic and ceramic applications","authors":"Muhammad Suliman Khan , Xiping Chen , Yanhua Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The valorization of hazardous spent potlining (SPL) waste into functional ceramics remains a formidable challenge due to its thermodynamic inertness and structural heterogeneity. This study presents a novel mechanochemical–thermal synthesis route enabling phase-pure formation of (Ca<sub>3</sub>Al<sub>2</sub>(SiO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub> grossular (GSR)) garnet directly from SPL, employing Na<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> and CaCO<sub>3</sub> as mineralizing additives. Post-synthesis calcination at 1200–1300 °C (at 25 °C intervals) for 5 h facilitated complete transformation into a highly ordered cubic Ia-3d garnet phase. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed sequential carbonate decomposition and volatile evolution above 1100 °C, while XRD confirmed sharp reflections characteristic of GSR garnet crystallinity. SEM analysis of the product exhibited dense, polygonal microstructures with minimal porosity and an average grain size of 2.8 µm. Elemental profiling revealed thermally activated incorporation of Ca, Al, and Si, with maximal oxide stabilization (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, CaO, and SiO<sub>2</sub>). FTIR spectra showed distinct Si-O stretching (875–1083.5 cm<sup>−1</sup>) and bending (529.88 cm<sup>−1</sup>) modes, alongside Ca-O and Al-O lattice vibrations, confirming complete oxide incorporation. Optical spectroscopy indicated a strong UV absorption edge and an indirect bandgap of 4.86 eV, consistent with DFT-predicted 4.59 eV. First-principles calculations verified high thermodynamic stability (E<sub>0</sub> = −34347.433 eV, B<sub>0</sub> = 192.878 GPa, ΔH<sub>f</sub> = -5755 kJ/mol) and a lattice parameter of a = 12.16 Å. The material exhibited strong UV absorption (5.6 × 10<sup>3</sup> cm<sup>−1</sup>), dielectric constant (ɛ<sub>1</sub> = 4.8), and refractive index (n = 1.8). This work pioneers a sustainable materials design strategy, merging waste remediation with the creation of optoelectronic garnet materials for next-generation energy-related optoelectronic and ceramic applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 256-268"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145733056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.mset.2025.01.001
Reno Pratiwi , Muhammad Ibadurrohman , Eniya Listiani Dewi , Ratnawati , Rike Yudianti , Saddam Husein , Slamet
This study aimed to enhance the effectiveness of the simultaneous combination of electrocoagulation and photocatalysis processes by modifying the configuration of the photocatalyst. A heterojunction mechanism was developed by integrating CdS with a photocatalyst using a TiO2 nanotube array (TNTA) [1]. This mechanism is designed to enhance photocatalytic efficiency by reducing electron-hole recombination. The successful synthesis of CdS/TNTA nanocomposite was confirmed using various characterization methods, including XRD, HRTEM, FESEM, UV–Vis DRS, PL, transient photocurrent, and XPS. The results showed that CdS/TNTA worked better than TNTA in a single photocatalysis process, achieving improved Ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal (7.9 % to 13.8 %) and hydrogen gas production (0.006 to 0.156 mmol/m2plate). Simultaneously operating electrocoagulation and photocatalysis systems in the respective optimized settings resulted in significant enhancements. Hydrogen gas yield increased by 44 % (from 443 to 636 mmol/m2 plate) compared to using only TNTA, while CIP removal improved from 79 % to 83 %. This study demonstrates that the synthesis of CdS/TNTA photocatalysts may be a promising approach to achieving high performance of hydrogen recovery while simultaneously removing CIP from wastewater.
{"title":"Development of CdS/TNTA nanocomposite to improve performance of simultaneous electrocoagulation-photocatalysis process for hydrogen production and ciprofloxacin elimination","authors":"Reno Pratiwi , Muhammad Ibadurrohman , Eniya Listiani Dewi , Ratnawati , Rike Yudianti , Saddam Husein , Slamet","doi":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to enhance the effectiveness of the simultaneous combination of electrocoagulation and photocatalysis processes by modifying the configuration of the photocatalyst. A heterojunction mechanism was developed by integrating CdS with a photocatalyst using<!--> <!-->a TiO<sub>2</sub> nanotube array (TNTA) <span><span>[1]</span></span>. This mechanism is designed to enhance photocatalytic efficiency by reducing electron-hole recombination. The successful synthesis of CdS/TNTA nanocomposite was confirmed using various characterization methods, including XRD, HRTEM, FESEM, UV–Vis DRS, PL, transient photocurrent, and XPS. The results showed that CdS/TNTA worked better than TNTA in a single photocatalysis process, achieving improved Ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal (7.9 % to 13.8 %) and hydrogen gas production (0.006 to 0.156 mmol/m<sup>2</sup>plate). Simultaneously operating electrocoagulation and photocatalysis systems in the respective optimized settings resulted in significant enhancements. Hydrogen gas yield increased by 44 % (from 443 to 636 mmol/m<sup>2</sup> plate) compared to using only TNTA, while CIP removal improved from 79 % to 83 %. This study demonstrates that the synthesis of CdS/TNTA photocatalysts may be a promising approach to achieving high performance of hydrogen recovery while simultaneously removing CIP from wastewater.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 121-130"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143156393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 243-255"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146500309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 131-142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146500318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 208-218"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146500324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 219-230"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146500325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 231-242"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146500326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Page R1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146500329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This research has investigated the viability of valorizing Areca or Betel palm-shells into activated carbon, to be applied as an electrode active material in supercapacitors. The palm-shells are an agricultural waste from betel-nut production, an important economic crop in several regions around the world. The conversion process mainly involves pulverization, ZnCl2-activation, and carbonization. The effect of carbonization temperatures – 500, 600, 700, and 800 °C, was studied on the properties of the activated carbon. Microstructural characterizations like BET, Raman, and XPS were carried out. All the activated samples are microporous, have a specific surface area >1,000 m2 g−1, and possess an intensity ratio of D-to-G band close to 1. More than 80 % of the atomic concentration of the samples is carbon; the C 1s bonds include C=C or sp2, C–C or sp3, C–(O,N), C=O, and O–C=O or π– π*. The activated carbon synthesized at 700 °C shows the most favorable properties for being used as the electrode in supercapacitors. Its electrochemical properties, evaluated by galvanostatic charge–discharge and cyclic voltammetry deliver the maximum specific capacitances of 144.48F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1 and 169.21F·g−1 20 mV·s−1, respectively. The supercapacitors do perform stably at long-term cycling with the capacitance retention (>98 %) and the coulombic efficiency at almost 100 % over 50,000 cycles. The betel-palm-shell carbon has a very comparable capacitive performance to other biomass-derived carbons with the respective maximum energy and powder densities of 7.63 Wh·kg−1 and 5,849.93 W·kg−1. Converting the betel-palm-shell waste, one of the common agricultural wastes in Asia, Oceania, Africa, or Latin America to activated carbon is a pathway of waste valorization as well as leads to a new business opportunity of producing carbon electrodes for an energy application of supercapacitors. This will further go towards a circular carbon economy, not only reducing the carbon footprint and other pollution caused by currently widely practiced incineration, but also creating a sustainable loop of material utilization.
{"title":"Highly porous activated carbon from betel palm shells as the prospective electrode for high-performance supercapacitors","authors":"Panuwat Torrarit , Sirilux Poompradub , Mahshid Mohammadifar , Prasit Pattananuwat , Theerthagiri Jayaraman , Yujeong Jeong , Narong Chanlek , Myong Yong Choi , Jitti Kasemchainan","doi":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.03.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mset.2025.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research has investigated the viability of valorizing Areca or Betel palm-shells into activated carbon, to be applied as an electrode active material in supercapacitors. The palm-shells are an agricultural waste from betel-nut production, an important economic crop in several regions around the world. The conversion process mainly involves pulverization, ZnCl<sub>2</sub>-activation, and carbonization. The effect of carbonization temperatures – 500, 600, 700, and 800 °C, was studied on the properties of the activated carbon. Microstructural characterizations like BET, Raman, and XPS were carried out. All the activated samples are microporous, have a specific surface area >1,000 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>−1</sup>, and possess an intensity ratio of D-to-G band close to 1. More than 80 % of the atomic concentration of the samples is carbon; the C 1s bonds include C=C or sp<sup>2</sup>, C–C or sp<sup>3</sup>, C–(O,N), C=O, and O–C=O or π– π*. The activated carbon synthesized at 700 °C shows the most favorable properties for being used as the electrode in supercapacitors. Its electrochemical properties, evaluated by galvanostatic charge–discharge and cyclic voltammetry deliver the maximum specific capacitances of 144.48F·g<sup>−1</sup> at 1 A·g<sup>−1</sup> and 169.21F·g<sup>−1</sup> 20 mV·s<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. The supercapacitors do perform stably at long-term cycling with the capacitance retention (>98 %) and the coulombic efficiency at almost 100 % over 50,000 cycles. The betel-palm-shell carbon has a very comparable capacitive performance to other biomass-derived carbons with the respective maximum energy and powder densities of 7.63 Wh·kg<sup>−1</sup> and 5,849.93 W·kg<sup>−1</sup>. Converting the betel-palm-shell waste, one of the common agricultural wastes in Asia, Oceania, Africa, or Latin America to activated carbon is a pathway of waste valorization as well as leads to a new business opportunity of producing carbon electrodes for an energy application of supercapacitors. This will further go towards a circular carbon economy, not only reducing the carbon footprint and other pollution caused by currently widely practiced incineration, but also creating a sustainable loop of material utilization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18283,"journal":{"name":"Materials Science for Energy Technologies","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 143-153"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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